SRK will probably recollect playing host to Sandeep Patil in 1996 and the all-the-best card he sent to John Wright & team in 2003 when he meets the two cricket coaches today
SRK will probably recollect playing host to Sandeep Patil in 1996 and the all-the-best card he sent to John Wright & team in 2003 when he meets the two cricket coaches todayShah Rukh Khan's opulent Mannat residence will be visited on Sunday by a wealth of experience on Sunday with the likes of John Wright, Sandeep Patil, Wasim Akram, Praveen Amre throwing their hats for a coaching position in Kolkata Knight Riders. This quartet includes two captains who have led their country on the biggest stage the World Cup.
Wright, who led New Zealand in the absence of Martin Crowe in the World Cup game against Pakistan in 1992 is supposed to be THE man KKR key player Sourav Ganguly (he has not yet been named captain) wants as coach, but rumour has it that Shah Rukh will make the final call on who John Buchanan's successor will be.
Ganguly will be present for the coach interviews though. If Wright fits their needs, the main issue will be whether he will agree to be in India for a while away from his family. After all, one of Shah Rukh's objectives was to develop a virtual academy and that means the head coach would have to be stationed in India.
And in any case, Wright has not come from New Zealand to be interviewed. He is in India to assist the New Zealand 'A' team at the Buchi Babu tournament in Chennai.u00a0
Wright first probably heard of Shah Rukh when the Bollywood star sent each member of the Indian team a card to wish them well for their 2003 World Cup campaign in Southern Africa.
Sandeep Patil first met Shah Rukh during the 1996 edition of the World Cup.
"Shah Rukh and Gauri had thrown a party at Khyber restaurant at Kala Ghoda. I was assisting manager Ajit Wadekar during that tournament and I went along with other members of the Indian team.
"I remember Shah Rukh presenting mini Ganesh idols to my sons Chirag and Pratik which they treasured," Patil told SUNDAYu00a0 MiD DAY on Saturday.
Akram's recent entry into the list of coach probables has been interesting. The Indian Premier League did not have a Pakistani presence this year so one wonders how things will pan out next year.
All said and done, Akram's expertise and glamour quotient cannot be underestimated.
Amre's stint with Mumbai Indians earlier this year was disappointing, but he has coached Mumbai to a couple of Ranji Trophy triumphs so that should count for something in a KKR set-up aimed at developing young talent.
