CIC will recommend new Mumbai coach to MCA shortly

CIC chief Jatin Paranjape (right) with members Vinod Kambli and Nilesh Kulkarni (centre) at BKC yesterday. Pic/Prakash Parsekar

It was a hectic but satisfying day for the Mumbai Cricket Association's (MCA) Cricket Improvement Committee (CIC) led by Jatin Paranjape and comprising members Vinod Kambli and Nilesh Kulkarni at the association's Bandra-Kurla Complex ground on Thursday.

The CIC spent almost six hours interviewing nine candidates for the post of head coach of the Mumbai team.

Testing times

It was a testing time for former Mumbai and India cricketers - Paranjape, Kambli and Kulkarni, who were coached by ex-India World Cup-winning swing bowler Balvinder Singh Sandhu during their stint with the Mumbai Ranji Trophy team in the late 1990s. However, on Thursday, Sandhu, 64, who has vast experience as a coach, was on the opposite side, presenting his plans to the CIC.

Meanwhile, the other aspiring Mumbai coaches, who attended the interview, have actually played alongside the CIC members. Former India Test opener Wasim Jaffer (19,410 first-calls runs and 31 Tests) and domestic stalwart and ex-Mumbai skipper Amol Muzumdar (11,167 first-class runs) are the other two leading contenders. Mumbai's 2012-13 Ranji Trophy-winning team coach Sulakshan Kulkarni and ex-India leg-spinner Sairaj Bahutule, who earlier coached Gujarat, Bengal and Vidarbha, ex-Mumbai bowling coach Pradeep Sunderam, Umesh Patwal, Vinod Raghavan and former Maharashtra player Nandan Phadnis also made presentations to the CIC.

‘Nice to see old teammates'

"It was nice to see old teammates, who have graduated and are doing well in the avenue of coaching. Ballu sir was senior to us and he was our coach when we were playing. Everybody came well prepared and offered clarity on how they will go about things. There were some unique insights too," Paranjape told mid-day on Thursday.

"We will make our recommendation to MCA in a couple of days. The other terms will be decided after CIC's discussion with the MCA office-bearers," Paranjape remarked.

MCA secretary Sanjay Naik said: "The CIC will recommend the coach to us and also decide his tenure. Remuneration and other things will also be discussed. We will then take it to the Apex Council and a decision will be made," said Naik.

Also Read: Balvinder Sandhu, Wasim Jaffer, Amol Muzumdar in race for Mumbai coach's job