Mumbai: Coach application deadline extended after poor response

Karsan Ghavri

Theâu00c2u0080u00c2u0088Mumbai Ranji Trophy team and the U-19 boys have to wait to get their new coach after the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) yesterday extended the deadline for receiving the applications. After getting a lukewarm response for the top job, the MCA's newly-formed Cricket Improvement Committee (CIC) met yesterday to finalise the coaches for the senior and junior Mumbai teams. However, they decided to invite more applications and hence extended the deadline to July 9.

The CIC will now meet on July 11 to finalise the coaches. Ex-India cricketers Ramesh Powar and Ajay Ratra, former Mumbai stumper Vinayak Samant, former Vidarbha off-spinner Pritam Gandhe and ex-Maharashtra batsman Nandan Phadnis have applied for the Mumbai Ranji team coach post. Ex-Mumbai U-19 coach Vinod Raghavan has applied for both positions.

In the absence of former India skipper Ajit Wadekar, ex-India pacer Karsan Ghavri chaired the CIC meeting which included Balvinder Singh Sandhu, Raju Kulkarni, Kiran Mokashi and Sahil Kukreja. Former Mumbai captain Amol Muzumdar could not attend the meeting as he is coaching at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore.

"We have only a few candidates (for the coach's job) to interview. That's why we have extended the time to get more choices. We will interview all candidates on Wednesday," Ghavri said after the three-hour long meeting. When mid-day asked Ghavri about the delay in off-season camps, he said: "We are a month behind schedule. We are hurrying up to make the structure ready in order to have regular camps and training at all levels. We are confident everything will be regularised soon."