BCCI Plays Waiting Game With Sourav Ganguly and Ravi Shastri
In less than a fortnight from now, India's Test prowess will be tested by Bangladesh. While the BCCI has decided on the team, they are still to choose the next team director. Sourav Ganguly remains a frontrunner for the job but BCCI is finding his conditions limiting. That could well tilt the scales in favour of Ravi Shastri.
Will it be Sourav Ganguly or Ravi Shastri? The race for the post of Indian team's director is now down to the two former captains.
NDTV has leant that Sourav Ganguly is the frontrunner. But he wants a contract for a duration that every top notch coach does, a cycle of four years. Sourav's blueprint is on preparing a team for the 2019 World Cup in England. But, a few in the BCCI are arguing against handing out a long term contract to him. (Related read: Sourav Ganguly's anticipated return to Indian cricket - Tactical brilliance or emotional blunder)
Sourav Ganguly has always polarised opinion. While he is facing opposition from within the Board, there is no dearth of outside support for him to become Team India's boss. Brett Lee, his former KKR colleague has told an Australian newspaper, "Sourav could definitely pass on his wealth of knowledge. Having the right balance is most important for a coach. If Sourav gives the players confidence, he would do a good job if he got it." (Read more here)
Meanwhile, NDTV has also learnt that Shastri has informed the BCCI of his unwillingness to travel to Bangladesh, if given a short-term contract. He wants the job for at least a year. That would help him produce results. A year's term could be far more acceptable to the board. (Is BCCI chief against long-term contract for Ganguly?)
This, coupled with BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya's reluctance to release Ganguly from his Cricket Association of Bengal duties could tilt the scale in favour of Shastri. Moreover the two current Indian captains- MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli - are in favour of Shastri continuing alongwith the trio of Sanjay Bangar, Bharat Arun and R Sreedhar.  ÂÂ
So will Sourav Ganguly be in the mix at all? Apparently, many in the board want him as a High Performance Manager. And so do the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid.
The BCCI's delay in handing out contracts to the team management could mean that they might negotiate further with the two former captains. Ganguly's penchant of making comebacks could once again unfold a whole new plot. Who will be Indian cricket's next team director? The jury is still out on that one.