Coach selector Kapil Dev open to hear India captain's view on head coach appointment, but insists his CAC won't call Ravi Shastri-backer Kohli
India skipper Virat Kohli with coach Ravi Shastri prior to the World Cup match v SL at Headingley last month
Kolkata: Kapil Dev, the chief of the three-member Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) yesterday reacted to India captain Virat Kohli saying earlier this week that he would like to see head coach Ravi Shastri continue.
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"The CAC hasn't contacted me as yet. If they tell me we want your opinion, yes I will definitely go and speak to them. And with Ravibhai, all of us have a greet camaraderie. Everyone in the team shares mutual respect and we have done really well together as a group. We will definitely be very happy if he continues as coach," Kohli said on Monday. However, Kapil said: "That is Virat's opinion. If he wants to talk to us, he can do so, but he has to call. We are open to talk to him." Former opener and coach Anshuman Gaekwad as well as ex-India women's captain Shantha Rangaswamy are other members of the panel.
Also Read: 'Virat Kohli entitled to his opinion but only CAC will decide the next coach'
Kapil Dev
It is learnt that Robin Singh, the former India all-rounder, Australia's 1987 and 1999 World Cup-winning all-rounder Tom Moody and ex-India opener and 2007 World T20-winning coach Lalchand Rajput have applied for the head coach post. Kapil received the Bharat Gaurav, East Bengal's highest honour during their foundation day celebrations at the Netaji Indoor Stadium.
With regards to the alleged differences between Kohli and his limited overs cricket deputy Rohit Sharma, Kapil felt: "There can be off-field differences, but it depends how you play on the field. Everyone should look into that. Differences of opinion does not mean you will be pulling somebody down," Kapil said.
Also Read: Anshuman Gaekwad on coach selection: We'll be neutral
Kapil was felicitated by East Bengal club here which has produced some of India's finest footballers. He revealed that he was a great fan of Diego Maradona. "He was the quickest among all the athletes. He could run faster than anybody else. That's why I used to look up to him," Kapil said. Interestingly, Kapil led India to an emphatic 2-0 Test series win during the same year Maradona guided Argentina to their 1986 World Cup triumph.
With inputs from PTI
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