Lalchand Rajput applies for team India head coach's position

Lalchand Rajput has been a long-standing servant of Indian cricket and when the chips were down following India’s World Cup loss to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in 2007, he took over the role some months after the debacle and was at the helm of the affairs as India salvaged some pride by winning the inaugural T20 World Cup in South Africa. 

He continued for a while until India appointed Gary Kirsten as the coach but as BCCI asked for applications for India’s next head coach, Rajput decided to throw his hat into the ring. His decision was also triggered by the fact that the International Cricket Council has suspended Zimbabwe Cricket for government interference.

The Mumbaikar has sent his application to the Board of Control for Cricket in India before the stipulated deadline July 30 from Dubai airport, while he was on his way to Canada. A source close to Rajput has also said that if he is not considered for the head coach’s position, he requested the BCCI to consider him as a batting coach.

For now, Ravi Shastri has already got a 45-day extension along with other members of the support staff till India’s upcoming tour of the West Indies but by mid-August, the Indian team’s new coaching set-up will be picked up by Cricket Advisory Committee, comprising Kapil Dev, Anshuman Gaikwad and Shantha Rangaswamy.