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Unless we go to England with what we have in place. In his television appearance, Gavaskar said that he didn't know whether the BCCI would reconvene a meeting of the search committee or carry on with an 'interim' arrangement in place. Would that be Venkatesh Prasad, Robin Singh and Gundappa Viswanath as our bowling, fielding and batting coaches respectively? Perhaps we didn''t give the selection committee enough credit. Perhaps it knew what it wanted all along.

Prasad, Viswanath and Robin Singh were fine players and it's perfectly possible that they'll be successful coaches. I just wish the Indian Board would find a coherent (i.e. non-shambolic) way of arriving at decisions. Watching Niranjan Shah (Secretary) and N. Srinivasan (Treasurer) over the past week, making predictions, eating their words and bumbling bravely on, has been like living in one of those two-reel comedies from slapstick's golden age. More and more the BCCI comes across as a rich repertory company with a particular talent for farce.

With what we are hearing about television "input" into the financial side of Indian cricket, maybe they should be head hunting for the BCCI to ensure they have an "acceptable face" for Indian cricket.

Been waiting for your comments since morning! I agree, the entire episode looks a sham, now the players have no choice but to go with what X wanted from the first, the bowling and fielding coaches and a batting coach of his choice. It is a Win Win situtation for him. Win, he says he found the cure, lose and he can continue to make his millions ridiculing them on his commentary stint.

Agreed that the BCCI has no recruitment process in place. But a Times of India article on web said that Ford had done similar thing with Sri Lanka some years back. He used the job to get better contract with current employers. After all, Ford does not live on Mars and knows Indian cricket. So why did he come in the first place if he knew he ws going to refuse it later?

This does not remove BCCI from fault. What sort of appoinment process is this? You just tap on someone's shoulder and expect they will work for you because you have money? Atleast let people 'apply' for a job. Is that not know you fill a vacancy in the normal world?

Maybe we all are over-emphasizing the role of a coach. Remember, the Indian team that was victorious in Windies and England in 1971 didn't have a coach.

Let's search for some competent, non-controversial, honest and unbiased ex-cricketer and send him to help the team. The remit need not include any long-term strategizing because we've seen how the strategy and process worked in the Chappell era.

Anyone for a certain J Srinath as coach?

"But rumour has it that Ford was appalled by the Indian Board officials"
What a surprise(!) Is there no possibility of a rival organisation to the BCCI, with more player involvement than politicians? Of course, the ICC would be appalled by such a suggestion, but a good dose of competition should sort out the BCCI.

If the selectors cold shoulder VVS Laxman for the England tour, he could apply for the vaccant post of a batting coach :)

May be Ford was appalled at the way we treated Emburey. To invite Emburey with out any serious intention of looking at him as a coach was an insult to him. He may have been a poor coach and a mediocre test player but he was a senior hand and deserved to be treated with respect. That episode is enough to turn away any well-meaning individual. Gavaskar should cop the blame for the entire episode and excuse himself from all activities relating to Indian cricket.

The BCCI, the players and the fans in India have embraced the success of failure. The players are consistent underperformers, and are supported by an inept management team at the BCCI. Furthermore, the fans continue to dotingly support their "idols" both on and off the field (i.e. advertising). After the devastating failure of the World Cup, it is refreshing to note nothing has changed. Indian cricket has turned into a soap opera of monumental proportions and the focus has shifted from achieving success on the cricket field to the maniacal thrill of watching a horrible multi-car crash on the highway. With Pawar, Chappell, Ganguly, Ford, Tendulkar, Dravid, Shah competing for prime billing as your Bollywood headliners, cricket is merely a redundant sub-plot. On the plus side, the viewership is up.

Ford showed the truth to the BCCI. It was like a slap in the face, probably what they deserved. I think this should be an eye-opener for all those who manage the BCCI. This gives them a huge lesson to learn from!

I agree that BCCI and its dealings are some times strange but don't you think Graham Ford also should be blamed here for his unprofessional behavior ,after all he has the choice to say the same things now he saying at the end of his interview instead of accepting and making a U-turn. I hope BCCI and the search committee will learn their lessons now and issue a proper advertisement to appoint coach in a professional way.

I do not know why anyone is surprised by these turn of events. I mean this is Indian cricket we're talking about, nothing can be done without drama and farce. With that said, perhaps the saddest fact of all is, regardless of who is appointed as 'coach' or how the team performs under him, the BCCI will continue to rake in its millions of dollars win, lose or draw. And they have the nerve to wonder why so many people get upset at the cricket in India. hah!

Now Borde is intrim-coach. Again, did Borde apply for this job? Or did the BCCI just 'appoint' him as an intrim-coach? Did they ask him first? From news reports, it seems Borde had no idea he was even being considered!!!

I have tried to rationalise Emburey's invitation by the BCCI, possibly he likes to travel? but the bigger irrational is why Ford went to interview and subsequently declined? lack of money,lack of a free hand,"advice" from Chappell,poor terms by BCCCI, perhaps world cricket needed this tryst now that that the Woolmer case has come to an apparent conclusion.

I believe I have the solution.

Start a reality TV show, call it "The Coach" and have a number of coaches from all over the world, say ten, challenge one another in various games. These games would test their cricketing wits, tactical insights and man-management skills. At the season finale - one that beats American Idol and The Apprentice for sheer cheesiness - the winner will be announced. His prize: to coach the Indian cricket team.

Yeah.

This is what TV these days is about anyway. Why not sacrifice cricket to such garish entertainment as well?

I kid of course, but don't be surprised if the BCCI announces this as their future recruitment tactic to net the best coach in the world.

Three coaches?...Perfect! Now three to share the blame when the team goes down. Surely just one of them could take on the mantle of head coach (i.e. Robin)

I share Suresh Krishnamurthy's sentiments. Emburey has been shabbily treated, and some of the comments have been ridiculous - I like Dileep Premachandran, but his suggestion 'Tale Of The Tape' that Emburey's playing credentials 'shade' Ford's was rubbish. Ford played seven games for a B team; Emburey took 1600 first class wickets.

Yes, Emburey wasn't a great, and clearly his coaching record is poor, but I'd like to see a bit more recognition of the pathetic incompetence of the BCCI, rather than over-the-top mockery of Emburey.

Smacks of the usual post-colonial hang-ups to me. Some day India will mature - can't see it happening any time soon though.

Hey, atleast one person is laughing his arse off right now: Dav Whatmore. What a joke! We could have had Whatmore, who only has a stellar proven track record to his credit. But noooooooooo, our ego won't allow us to accept him, as he was practically throwing himself at us. No, no, no, no, no. Can't have that kind of stuff going on. We're going to go out and find someone 'better' than Whatmore. Want more! What more??? So, on behalf of Dav Whatmore, hahahahhahahhahhhhh!!!! Idiots.

Why does every one find the mistake with ford. He never applied for the job. he was invited for the job. so he came here and saw things. it is bad for us that he came and went at our expense. he has his right to weigh his options. and his decision to decide.
Some one said he is unprofessional. This statement is the most laughable one. The one who is unprofessional is BCCI, the ones running the show and the other bunch of jokers set to decide who will be the next coach (mind not to select the coach). There is no formal advertisement, just they come with some funny looking names, who neither have a good resume or have tasted any successes.
And what just happened during the Bangladesh tour. We told the press that dav whatmore is the next Indian coach. He almost made his preperations to move and boom, our so called old cricketers are baying for his blood. They want a domestic coach. And dav whatmore was dropped like a hot potato. The saddest thing was he was informed through the proper channels. One report claims that he got to know abt the boards decision through papers. That is as low as one can stoop down. Poor whatmore left this job at Bangladesh, and resisted another offer from Pakistan thinking that his job as Indian coach is almost decided. Just a lack of coordination between the people.
Though it is hard to digest the fact, the truth is that our team is made up of individual performers; we cannot be an Australia or south Africa. We just need to know how to play as a team and every one playing to his strengths. We need a coach who can manage stars. And a domestic coach can never achieve it. The senior players in the team are just uncontrollable.
Overall it is a good example of how things are not to done or handled and clearly defines the lowest point in Indian cricket.

The BCCI never ceases to amaze! The way the national coach, captain and the team is selected, you wonder how we have managed a win % of 45% in ODIs and won test matches lately overseas. I think the tide has finally turned, the upcoming England tour is tipped to be a disaster of the world cup proportions.

If a first round world cup exit at the hands of Bangladesh did not spurt the board into action, nothing will!

Almost yearn for Dalmiya to return, even though he was a dictator, atleast did some good for Indian Cricket.

Good show Ford. I was really hoping that he would tell the BCCI thanks but no thanks and tht's exactly what happened. I don't think anyone should turn up to coach the team , let them all fade away and hope cricket reaches its end.

I wonder if there is way to kick out BCCI officials. I think it is easier to oust a government than to oust BCCI offcials. In case of Government, at least the President has authority to dismiss them. What about BCCI? They are their own bosses, hence they continue to embarrass the fans.
I think the only way, we fans, can get back to them is, switch off our TV. I bet, that will hurt! I do not think there is a better way, rather any other way of teaching them a lesson.

Mr. Pawar, where is your experience of being a Chief minister, a Defense minister and myriad other illustrative posts? Take responsibility for this state of affairs under your administration and walk out of BCCI with your entire bunch of losers. I am sure, each one of them has made enough money to last them a lifetime.

Why not Mohinder?

I think the board should seriously consider Mohinder Amarnath for the head coach's position and interview him. Jimmy is a no nonsense person, with a lion's heart and a shrewd brain. He would make a great coach, but I am afraid that the players, including Rahul, wanted a puppet as the head coach. It is well and fine to consider players' views, but their words should not be final. After all, players come and go, but cricket goes on.

2 words,,,

Anthony Robbins.

Personal Power.

But Seriously,,,(Ahem)

IMHO India need's some world class bowlers. India has batsmen galore.

Coaches gonna make a silk purse out of a sow's ear?

Good luck.

Three things win most cricket matches, Batsmen, Bowlers, Fielders.

Luck comes in 4th.

Fielding probably the most under-rated.

Why not get an Indian born coach? perhaps that guy that sentenced Richard Gere to jail???

Cheers.

i am very happy for Mr. Ford. I think he did the right thing at the right time. But my friends, i am afraid that the state of indian cricket won't change as long as... like pawar or shah or ... selectors run the show. Hell if they can't find a coach, I'm available (just pay me a lil bit).

For their love of television, the BCCI should conduct a talent show like "Indian Idol" to arrive at the next coach of India.

What shameless, unprofessional administrators we have!!!

Do any of you think that Ford may have had a telephone conversation with Greg Chappell before he was supposed to sign on the dotted line? If that was indeed the case we probably know the reason why he declined.

If Ford didnt like the way Cricket in India is run then he should have made BCCI aware of that -- rather than indicating it was only a matter of time and then backtrack.

A lot of us professionals would not dream of doing such a thing and I cant understand why Ford is being treated like holy cow.

"I might apply for that ... it's a good job that ... I like India."
Tongue firmly in cheek, Darren Gough on the coaching vacancy in India.

Toungue in cheek perhaps but it seems India's options are dwindling.

I saw him (Gough), play beach cricket not long ago & he knows his stuff?

I know Greg didn't work out but what about Trevor???

Trevor won the 1981 B&H Cup with his bowling using shrewd tactics.

India need's a shrewd tactician atm imho.

Cheers.

The Board members are all eminently successful in their own fields (I don't know what Niranjan Shah does for a living when he isn't shooting off his mouth). However, if they were to run their businesses the way they run the BCCI good luck to those organisations. How does anyone recruit an individual without a) Advertising for the position or (b) Having extensive discussions before making an offer.

What is the Mission Statement of the BCCI. We know it makes a lot of money, but is that what it it's prime purpose is? Perhaps it should be renamed BCMMCI (Board of Control for Making Money from Cricket in India). That seems to be all it is good at.

I believe it is pointless to speculate much of what happened, as it has already passed. Ford had a choice, and he made his choice based on what he felt was right. I actually admire Ford more now, coz he had the courage to turn the BCCI down for Kent. If family was his reason, so let it be, for he too is human.
BCCI should at least learn now, or it is never. I still cant see the rationale in rejecting the willing offer of a very qualified and successful coach, and listing a relative "nobody" as a contender..no offence to Emburey, I respect him, but I feel ashamed of how he is being mocked by the BCCI and the public..That poor fella probably dint ask for it, yet he is being thrown brickbats...If India can demand that Sri Lanka buy its weapons from them, surely they can demand some advice on how to build a successful cricket team and how to choose a coach from them too :D

Why we worry about a foreign coach.It is blessing in diguise for Indian team not to have a coach like Ford.Whatever be his capabilities,he showed lack of maturity in turning down the offer at the last moment.He could have refused the job at first place with the reasons he highlighted as the reasons for not opting the job.A person with two mind on critical decisions like this shows his unprofessionalism and immaturity.I think Indians should have self believe ourself and look for Indian coach.There is plenty of talent left in India.

BCCI's incompetence has been compounded by Ford's shrewd tactics. While i am happy that BCCI has been made to eat humble pie by the smart african, i am worried that the tour of England is doomed even before it got off the ground.

Compound BCCI's incompetence in cricket administration with the sad team that has been picked, i would be happy to see if we can get a few drawn test matches.

Can someone explain how either Dinesh Karthik or Wasim Jaffer is better than Virender Sehwag, the test batsman? Leave Sehwag out of ODIs, i agree. How can someone justify leaving him out for tests, unless it is for spite?

Sad, i have to skip watching us getting trashed in England and the pundits wondering why talent doesn't seem to get translated into match performance.

been waiting for the article, Mukul and all the comments. BCCI, hope it learns a bit from all this and handles things better. Well, we have lot of choice. Ravi Shastri, Jimmy Amarnath, Vishy; If we need a foreigner, lets go for Arjuna Ranatunga, Aravinda desilva and if jayasurya has plans to retire, we can go for him too. You need a westerner, you can try for the King Richards or the Prince Lara. Or, go for Sachin as a player cum coach or if VVS is still being ignored, make him coach...

I think Graham Ford used the BCCI to get a better contract with his county. For once, I dont think you can blame the BCCI here, they were completely fooled. As for a coach, I think it might be a good idea to try out Sandip Patil for some time.
Dalmiya should come back, he knew that the product was the most important thing. If the product i.e the cricket was top-class money and power would follow. The present BCCI mandarins are just opportunistic businessmen with no feel for the game.

Why did Ford come all the way here and make the presentation, if he wasn't interested in the job? I'm sure he knew the consequences/implications of being appointed as the Indian coach. Maybe its a reflection on this decision making abilities. if he wasn't sure about accepting the job, he shouldn't have wasted time, effort and money of everyone involved in the process. Maybe this is a blessing for Indian cricket (we need a lot of them, considering the way things are being run)Who knows what kind of gameplans for Team India he would have come up with had he accepted the position.

How about BCCI officials starring in David Dhawan's movies. Am sure they will give Govinda and Salman Khan a run for their money.

Jokers, the whole lot of them.

It is true BCCI has internal problems. But how many boards are totally perfect? It is again a common fact in this World prospective employees decliing the offer from the employer. Sri Lanka called in Bracewell to be their coach. He declined the offer. They called on Woolmer who said what they asked him to do was far from satisfactory. Ford had also done the same with SL. Before appointing Moody as the coach, they had to wait till India appointed Chappell. Did we see these types of comments about SL? They also have a board laden with mismanagements. Even now we see no rumour comments on why Moody left them.

This is not to say that everything done by BCCI is right. They must not have gone for this farcial coach selection process calling on Emburey who had no chance. They must just approach one person. if he declines find another one. Also they should have started the process very early, considering all these possibilities and the tight international schedule India has. Hopefully the BCCI has awakened from the turn of events.

It will be a fitting end to the farce, and perhaps the end of the BCCI if Borde were to turn down the job.

Just read the tem selection news. How can they drop munaf patel from the test team? Fitness problems apparently, but he's only just been cleared by Gloster. And anyway the test series doesnt start for another month. With Sreesanth, Zaheer, Munaf and Kumble, India had a real chance. This will be such a waste. And Munaf would have relished English pitches. Sad.

So what's new? Indian Cricket has again managed to turn a 'no risk' situation into a pending disaster! So I ask again, what's new?
Dav Whatmore should have walked into this role but then Indian cricket only pays heed to people's past records when it suits them. A guy who was hungry for the job, had the credentials of making match winners of sub-continental teams was asked to keep walking! As for Ford, I am pretty convinced that he used this opportunity to further his contract specs with Kent! I believe it is his loss but I will not be surprised if further down the line Indian cricket forgives him and puts him in the reckoning again.
Another question that baffles me! Should current players have input into the decision on who should be coach? Do you think the NY Yankees had a say in having Joe Torre as coach? Shouldn't the Chappell experience have taught the board that players are not really the best judges in this decision?
Lastly, someone floated the idea of Javagal Srinath as coach. I think it'd be worth a shot. He is someone who through his columns has demonstrated that he can be a canny tactician. If Shastri won't take it, Srinath has my vote ... i.e., if one Mr. Ranatunga will have nothing to do with this.

It is obvious that BCCI (read Sunil & Ravi & Shah ) want a coach who will be willing to follow all their orders and advice...they don't want someone who can act independently (thats why the idea of a unpretentious Indian coach who will be in awe of them)..it is appalling how much influence some of these ex-players still have on Indian cricket and they are ready to do anything to be in control and power..

The BCCI has been mismanaging cricket in India ever since it went along with Greg Chappell's hare-brained schemes. Now TV channels don't want to show matches, and good coaches don't consider it a good employer to work for. It's time someone other than a politician took charge!

Its time to thank Emburey. He has spared some blushes for BCCI, although, on face of it, his refusal appears as another slap in the face of the Indian board.

I can almost visualize the bungling board to look towards Whatmore, and Whatmore refusing it in glee and accepting an offer from elsewhere!!

[:D]

B.C.C.I.should now call for applications of intent from interested parties,including Dav Whatmore,and go about the process of selecting a coach for 3 years min.,with terms and conditions transparently spelt out.S.M.G.should not be part of this process.Instead of looking for a foreign coach,maybe the process of selection of a coach should be outsourced to a foreigner,as niether the B.C.C.I.nor its committee seems capable of doing an unbiased(let alone professional)job.

The best possible action for BCCI is now, leave out all the past which has happened, do not take any suggestions from any of the former cricketers, present cricketers(who have made a mockery of themselves by letting everybody know that they are the only bosses of the game and not BCCI) nor the media. Sit down - BCCI, for two or three days or maybe a week, think about the possibilities of taking all the former Indian players for a coach. Check with them on their availability without informing anybody and then let the media and others know - ok, here is what we think of - so and so former players have been considered as a coach option and we are going to interview, see their passion to the cricket, and select them. Take your time in getting a coach, and not unnecessarily pressurize yourselves by prematurely announcing a coach. As for a foreigner coach, there shouldn't be any foreign coach. As far as the working committee, pls give free hands to the ex-cricketers, pay them well and be it the ex-cricketers, whom everyone will respect and take their opinions

I am not sure if India is playing a match against Kent before England tour.But in case they are,players will realise that they've missed out on someone like Ford. The most lucrative job in the world of cricket brings both bricks and bouquets. Foreign coaches (whether high profile or not) have a lot of responsibilty in their hands. They are the ones who are under scrutiny from not only public but also ex-cricketers. In such a situation,the BCCI treats these coaches like puppets. Wait a minute, we are forgetting that these coaches have to handle our high-profile cricket team also. So, is it worth being a scapegoat ? Hats off to Ford, he managed a narrow escape. Now we'll have a formal selection for our next victim as Coach.

This post is about Indian cricket selection for Ireland/England.

My feeling is 'Goodnite and goodluck'! I am done with Indian cricket.

Stuck around after world cup loss. After all the hype about giving new players a chance, we have selected same players who have 100+ average no victories to show for. Bunch of hype about 1 saviour, who has a important job but not nearly what it's cracked up to be- the coach.

Mr. Pawar can't get it done. Needs to step aside. This team may still win a couple matches, and the media/fans will go wild but it's a band-aid approach. With couple exceptions this team was always was full of pretenders, no champions.

So goodnite and goodluck ;)!

I think its stupid to say and ask why did ford come here if he wasnt sure of the job? That is the whole point.... he came here to see for himself. When someone from India is invited to be a coach for England or any other country he has to go there and access the situation and condition himself. Thats called professionalism, something that we here doesnt have in the least bit.
And its pathetic to see people asking why he came here and all sorts of stupid questions.
The problem is we dont have a proper system... and why the hell does the players need to decide who the coach should be. That why there is a BCCI... you decide who the coach is and the players PLAY under him... isnt it supposed to be that simple?
But guess logic and common sense is something that this administration is lacking and is painfully obvious.

The team selection for the Ireland ODIs and England tests indicates the utter irrelevance of the debate about the coach. When someone like Ajit Agarkar (who has to be the worst all-rounder who ever played the game, that is, no one else could have played 25+ test matches and 180+ ODIs with fewer runs and wickets to his name)can retain his place in the ODI team, it indicates either that our cupboard is truly bare or that the selectors operate on principles other than merit. For the English test series, our openers will be Jaffer and Karthick, with Gambhir as a backup. You are looking at Dravid walking in time after time with less than 20 runs on the board - almost ensuring Sidhu's "cycle-stand" batting order collapses thereafter. And a bowling attack with Zaheer as "spear-head" is not going to get the English out once a test, let alone twice. No coach in the world can do anything with a weak outfit like this, so its perhaps best that we not have one right now. I am sure some of this figured in Ford's calculus, besides getting a first-hand view of the shambolic way in which the BCCI conducts itself. As cricket fans, we best brace ourselves for a disappointing summer and winter, with maybe an occasional individual performance to cheer us up.

Hmmm some interesting thoughts. Some people ask "Why did Ford come all the way...and refuse the job?" Let's see. I go on a job interview; I get to evaluate the company and my future employer. I have every right to say NO after meeting the employer since I am evaluating them as well. That's how job interviews work in my neck of the woods. As for the backwaters, I have no idea. But then again what I am talking about is very professional and not political.

Hello, this is a very interesting topic. Here goes-
1. The BCCI got a taste of its own medicine. Ford treated it the way it treated poor Whatmore. Given the BCCI's record and the behavior of the Indian masses, is it any surprise that Ford did not want to take up the job?
2. While Srinath could be a good choice, why have Prasad (a bowler) if Srinath is going to be the coach? Also, Srinath, while being one of the hardest workers in world cricket anywhere, could hardly bowl yorkers; he also had a terrible record of bowling at the death and apart from a couple of occasions, never distinguished himself in real pressure situations. What can someone like him teach our budding bowlers?
3. Since Gavaskar seems to be very prominent nowadays, and I read that he wishes G. Vishwanath to be the batting coach, I have to wonder- WHAT is stopping him from considering himself for the post of a batting coach? If it's his current contracts, he should not blame others in the future if they turn down similar opportunities. Of course, he could yet chalk out a long-term plan for himself such that in a couple of years, he could be the Indian batting coach. But then he has always preferred to stay on the sidelines and pass judgments on others, while exhibiting his biases towards a chosen few, whether they are good or not. I still feel he should apply for the batting coach.
4. Indian ex-cricketers should be considered, but their credentials must also be examined. How can some ex-cricketer who always played for himself, never shared his prize money with the team when it was a team rule, didn't have a good technique overseas, choked in pressure situations etc. during his time, teach the current guys all the good things they are supposed to know to make progress as the best cricketers? I can think of VERY FEW Indian cricketers who do not suffer from one or more of these problems during their time. Even it they have learnt their lessons now, our overbearing senior cricketers will always point to his shortcomings and go ahead and do what they want anyway.
5. This team has always been a frustratingly underachieving one, but it promises to only get worse now (how I wish I am proved wrong!!!). We have one guy who already thinks he is set for the next World Cup (Sachin), one guy who has begged/manipulated his way into the team and will continue to rest on past laurels while making merry against weaker attacks (Ganguly), a confused captain who probably wants to quit but cannot (Dravid), A bowling spearhead who may have been thinking that he will be in the team for an extended time since there is no real competition (Zaheer),a dashing batter who is content to play a couple of good innings and stay in his comfort zone instead of trying to be up there with the best (Yuvraj), and a host of other cricketers who have either fitness or attitude or technique problems or a combination of the three (Sehwag, Munaf, Kaif etc.). Wow. I cannot wait to see how they "perform" in England and Australia.
What a bunch of losers- right from the administrators to past as well as current cricketers!!!!

Now it seems obvious that Whatmore would have been the best choice for India. Considering all the other mistakes made by the BCCI in the past. Sunil Gavaskar blasted him out of contention because he wasn't "tactical" enough for him. While we all know that the India team needs to get back to the basics of batting, bowling and fielding. Whatmore did magic with Sri Lanka and now Bangladesh. He could have been the guiding force in correcting India's dismal performance in tours.

Meanwhile, a few good performances in the subcontinent, the "revenge-series" in Bangladesh and Asia's whitewash against Africa, has shut up half the crowd (including the media)....until India's next bungle abroad.

Guys,

Have a sense of humour.

For the next Bollywood awards, they should include BCCI. BCCI would win all the awards.

One of the Bollywood stars would be a good coach (Big "B". There's nothing he can't do).

I render an official apology to the BCCI...who cares abt the onfield cricket- they just provide so much reality show based entertainment...read the below abt our new manager and just imagine the possibilities...

"But from the point of view of age, his appointment is surprising. It is learnt that Borde has a problem remembering players’ names.

“For a better part of his tenure as the selection committee chief, he used to call the Indian captain ‘Gaurav Ganguly’,” a Board insider said.

Questioning Borde’s selection, the source added: “How can he manage a team when he himself needs one person to manage him.”

Gaurav Dravid, Sachin Gambhir, Rahul Uthapa...wow or maybe one for Indian unity- Anil Khan...just watch this space for more...

To Vishwanath Pai.

Hilarious. Hope you aren't serious though.

"I render an official apology to the BCCI...who cares abt the onfield cricket- they just provide so much reality show based entertainment...read the below abt our new manager and just imagine the possibilities...

"But from the point of view of age, his appointment is surprising. It is learnt that Borde has a problem remembering players’ names.

“For a better part of his tenure as the selection committee chief, he used to call the Indian captain ‘Gaurav Ganguly’,” a Board insider said.

Questioning Borde’s selection, the source added: “How can he manage a team when he himself needs one person to manage him.”

Gaurav Dravid, Sachin Gambhir, Rahul Uthapa...wow or maybe one for Indian unity- Anil Khan...just watch this space for more..."

Chappell left. Whatmore was chased and the BCCI ran away from him. They chased again and the contenders ran away this time. What a mess. What an understatement.

To Ravi from Oz...
"there is nothing that Big B can't do"...:))
too good... I agree. Vote for Big B

To Vishwanath Pai...
too good...:)
Micheal Flintoff, Ian vaughan, kevin bell

Look at this vicious spiral.
Whatmore treated Bangladesh badly for India.
India treated Whatmore badly for Ford.
Ford treated India badly for Kent.
But surprisingly Kent is happy with Ford.
The spiral ends for the time being atleast.

Some of the comments above made an interesting reading. I really wonder about this obsession for coach. Ian Chappell has written a wonderful article here http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/extracover/content/current/story/297365.html

Guess that says it all for BCCI and Indian cricket.

It's simple to see. The whole thing was a sham. We were never going to get a foreign coach. The Bombay boys have taken over (Pawar, Gavaskar, Vengsarkar, Shastri and now Borde). The whole point is to ensure Dravid fails miserably and Tendulkar takes over. We're headed the hockey way. Two years from now the superior athletic sides will be miles ahead of us, while we count our test centuries

Why not send Sunny Gavaskar as Team Manager instead of Chandu Borde? He has been against Whatmore and as Ford and Emburey have declined to be considered, the board should try him out. He has toured old blighty many times and will be a guiding light to the present lot.And better still he commands a lot of respect from the players.

i think it wont be bad if we appoint any politicians for the coach.. Since he is experienced in politics he'll handle politics thats happening inside the BCCI very well.. Since he previously managed media he wont have to worry about media as well.. About man management , he already would have experience in managing his partyor his followers so that also not a problem.. And each and every one of india including us, knows about Cricket to certain extent so no need to worry about his cricket knowledge too..And finally, if current BCCI president was a full time politician why not our coach.. So go and get a experienced politician.. And my vote goes to Lallu Prasad Yadav or Jayalalitha.. (Just imagine how efficientlt they will tackle and make strong statements against the opposite party (coach , players) after we got defeated in a match..)

And of course, Im kidding, but anything can happen with our great BCCI..!!

some of the comments r so funny ! i wish they continue their humour. BCCi says players can manage on england tour without a coach . what`ve they been doing so far ? managing ,what else !they all just manage . manage to play , manage to win , manage to lose . WHO WANTS TO WIN ? after all a win requires a lot of planning n integrity . it requires character . alas , we indians have to manage with these shamless ppl. for a long time to come.

Its's Conspiracy Time...
Conspiracy No-1 - This is big consipracy launched by the Mumbai Mafia supported by the Kolkata Babus, to discredit Rahul Dravid and the rest of the team, and ensure that they lose the tests in England. After that it will be only time before some of these Mafia will go on TV and 'Sunnily' comment that Rahul Dravids captaincy was to blame and he was not mentoring the younger players properly nor was he respecting the senior players. We will have the Mafia's foriegn hand supporteres cooming in and saying that the Indian players need a Prince to Moother them through the series and the Bengal tiger is the best etc etc...News Channels fill their vacant air time, Newspapers columns and Commentators a few hot air balloons

Conspiracy 2 - India will lose in England in teh series and Pawar will get England's vote in the forthcoming ICC match (the biggest event of all)...After a successfull world cup, this series will also be a success if Pawar gets elected...

Conspiracy 3 - All this is Rahul Dravids doing, he called Ford in the first place, he called him again. With a Chappel or Sastri to take all the flak, Rahul's handling of the team goes unnoticed...Ford was way too soft...

The ultimate consiracy is that we buffons called fans read about this, listen to hot air that 'great players (who took a 100 balls to get off 0 in a time when fielding meant catching balls that came into your hand) sprout on the airwaves and bloggers wrie aboput in cybermedia...

Lets watch Wimbledon instead...

I would like to ask some questions

Was he(Ford) not aware that his wife has cancer?
Was he not aware that he will have a 1 year contract?
Didn't he know that he will be working with V Prasad & R Singh?

I think he is a manipulator(Remember he was the coach at Cronje's time).I think he was trying to bargain with Kent for a better package and he might have suceeded in that.Shame for Indians.Bcci should give one more opportunity to Kapil Dev or Sandieep Patil.We won under 14 & under 19 world cups without foreign coches.

BCCI is running with Politics and Money. Isn't enough to get corrupted? Sunil Gavaskar is the biggest culprit of this episode. Finally, BCCI is proved that its the most richest and most unprofessional org of the cricket world.
Shame on BCCI for cheating Indian public with the stupid stunts.

How many of you appear for an interview in corporate world ? And how many of you infact really join the company ? Many times people take this interviews as a means of getting a hike in the salary or some more perks. They are just in a show off mode to their current employers. And when you reject the new company s offer, the company becomes unprofessional, good for nothing ?

Ford did just that. Its good that he left in the beginning, however many ? on his ethics remain, when he did nt want to join, why did he send application to the board and nodded Dravid ?

Thin bonned chicken. And the way Ford and Emburey were invited, thats called referrals, which every company has. Isn't it ?

BCCI is no saint, but the way people in India blame it for every wrong, its pathetic. And BTW Indian mentality is to crib and find faults almost with every one. Be it Amitabh Bacchan or SRK or SRT or SCG or the skipper, they aint spared by people and media, forgetting their self worth, forgetting if they deserve to speak even a word about this people who have done something in their lives rather than sitting on a desktop and writing a cribbing post or a comment.

Mr. Pai,
I have not laughed so much for long. No, wait!! I laughed that much when Ford refused.

Come on, Guys!! Give the BCCI some credit! They go this Ford guy who seemed decent enough and set it up perfectly by inviting Emburey (he deserves more respect)to present against Ford and guess what!! Ford turned out to be a rational man!! A novelty !! how dare he refuse us!!! HA! HA! HA!

I wonder how much money was spent in playing this farce.

Now, they go ahead and select Mr.Borde. Maybe it's lottery. Can anyone tell me where they are selling tickets???!

Enough with the jokes. I am crazy about the game but I watch it a lot less now and If a big fan like me can turn off the TV, I think it is not far that cricket dies a natural death in this country. It is sad but I grew up to manhood in a time where there was limited coverage and hardly any endorsements. I am sure there were politics then as well but it was not so much in the face.

But the new age fans have been exposed to the dark side. For them today, it is just a game. For me, personally, it was so much more..

Hey Greg Chappell was sacked because he did't perform and the same jokers who picked Chappell have goofed up big time. Why the hell Gavaskar, Shastri & Co. are not held accountable after all the bungling. They should be immediately thrown out and should be shot at sight if they are ever visible again at BCCI office. I stopped watching ESPNSTAR...

Rajnikant for coach! Sivaji The Boss!
"Naan oru Six adithaal athu Nooru Six aditha maathiri"

I am begining to wish Dalmiya was in charge!

what can one say!
something everyone knows - BCCI is the richest cricket board.
something you might not know - BCCI is the only test playing nation board, which does not have its own official website!!!
now that is how professional the BCCI buffoons are. hell! even Bangladeshis, Zimbabweans, Irish & Scots have their own official cricket websites. shame on BCCI.
they go on like this, and the players houses are blackened, their effigies burnt et al. its time the likes of Niranjan Shah, Pawar and the rest of clowns faced the public's wrath.

Why are there so many Maharashtrians around? One of them is even the vice captain of the test squad. I vote we pick Sharad Pawar as coach-cum-ICC head honcho.

Adding to the list, This would the Cricket Managers cutting edge strategy advice to the captain: Gaurav Ganguly and Sachin Gambhir open the bowling and Romesh Tendulkar and Anil Agarkar open the batting.

I liked the Gaurav Ganguly post from pai. It was hilarious.

Oh, as for cricket, I gave up on it long time ago. I am an avid football watcher now.

Ha! Some of the posts are hilarious, Pai, Sudeep et al .. atleast we can have some fun at the expense of BCCI and indian cricket, if nothing else. I really wish i would have been born in a different era when it comes to cricket - these are lousy times. Now my hope is that all other foreign candidates take a leaf out of Graham Ford's book and tell the BCCI to take a long walk off a short plank. As for the cricket itself, I think we should consider the current Eng - WI series as a close-fought one, compared to what is in store when our dear (and now coachless) team lands on those shores.

If the BCCI is serious about India's future in cricket,it should start sending serious YOUNG (want to coach) candidates to Australia as apprentices in their coaching academies. At least in future we won't have to rely on the Chappels, Fords and Embureys.

It is hilarious for the world to see the Great Indian Circus ( thanks to current BCCI). But it is also painful for Team India fans to watch our downslide over last couple of years. When will this nightmare end?

Lets look at this rationally.
1. Someone checked with Ford if he was interested to take up the job of a foreign coach. Reports suggest that it was Rahul Dravid.
2. BCCI subsequently called him for a presentation. (lets assume that Emburey was a 'smokescreen'). He agreed and duly made a presentation.
3. As in any business the 'committee' and Ford had a discussion of terms.
4. It was MUTUALLY agreed that the appointment was for 1 year and his support staff would be Venkatesh Prasad and Robin Singh and the physio.
5. Ford accepted THESE conditions on the spot and did not say that he would come back with an answer after any reasonable period of time (viz. 2, 3 or 5 days).
6. BCCI announced in a press conference AFTER his acceptance that Ford is the new coach.
7. After returning to Kent 2 days later Ford sends a message to BCCI declining the job.

With this chronology I for one will emphatically state that BCCI is blameless. Graham Ford in my opinion should be 'blackballed' from any coaching jobs in future once his tenure with Kent ends. He may be the best coach in the world and the nearest to being God's gift to mankind but nobody should ever touch him in future with not just a 10 foot pole but even a 100 foot pole. This despicable creature should be consigned to limbo forever for this unforgivable breach of contract.

Prakash

So much for all the gusto and talk about setting things right with indian cricket. It looks to be in worse shape than before the WC!!! Way to go BCCI ... way to go!!!

hey guys let me give BCCI and the selection committe a brilliant idea,let them select two coaches,one foreign coach and one Indian coach.As BCCI is the richest Board in the world,they wont have a problem on electing two coaches.
And somebody pls kick Gavaskar out of the selection committe,if it was nt Gavaskar interference we wud hv had Whatmore as coach by now.

You signed my copy of Men in White at the launch. I somehow forgot to tell you that as well as I can remember the Wisden ratings of 2001 were conceived by a man very much Indian.
Ananth is adept at software and a true lover of the sport. Being statistically inclined, he devised the ratings which Wisden later used. Perhaps his corporate experience played a part in the way it was designed.
Tendulkar's 155 at Chennai was apparently far lower in his original list than what Wisden showed. I remember he lamented at what might have been had Sachin won India the other Chennai classic with his 136.