The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Jay Shah has confirmed that the board has not approached any Australian cricketer with the offer to coach the Indian senior men's cricket team.
“Neither I nor the BCCI have approached any former Australian cricketer with a coaching offer. The reports circulating in certain media sections are completely incorrect," Jay Shah told reporters on Friday.
The BCCI Secretary mentioned that finding the right guy for the role is a "meticulous and thorough process" and the apex cricket governing body in India is looking for someone who possesses a deep understanding of the Indian cricket structure. Shah's statement also hints that the board is keen on getting a former India cricketer on board for the prestigious position.
"Finding the right coach for our national team is a meticulous and thorough process. We are focused on identifying individuals who possess a deep understanding of the Indian cricket structure and have risen through the ranks," Shah said.
Shah's statement has come after the former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting claimed that he was approached by a few BCCI officials for Team India's head coach role.
"I've seen a lot of reports about it,” Ponting told the ICC Review. "Normally these things pop up on social media before you even know about them, but there were a few little one-on-one conversations during the IPL, just to get a level of interest from me as to whether I would do it.
"I'd love to be a senior coach of a national team, but with the other things that I have in my life and wanting to have a bit of time at home…everyone knows if you take a job working with the Indian team you can't be involved in an IPL team, so it would take that out of it as well.
"Also, a national head coach is a 10 or 11-month of the year job, and as much as I'd like to do it, it just doesn't fit into my lifestyle right now and the things that I really enjoy doing."
