Kepler Wessels keen on India coaching job

MUMBAI, July 10: The next time officials of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) sit down to formalise a process to select the new Team India coach, they will have a bigger pool to choose from than last time.
The latest to join the race as replacement to Aussie Greg Chappell is former South Africa captain Kepler Wessels, who got in touch with the Indian board 'indirectly' last week.The ex-Australia and South Africa player has not sent in his CV yet but his agent spoke to the board through a senior Indian player.
Wessels is the fourth candidate to be interested in the job after his ex-Australian teammate John Dyson, current Queensland coach Terry Oliver and New Zealand A coach Dav Nosworthy, all of whom have sent in their applications.
"I am interested in the job and my agent in London is handling the issue on my behalf. He was supposed to contact the Indian board. I have left everything to him," Wessels said.
Wessels, who turns 50 in September, is currently preparing to fly out as coach with the South Africa A side to Australia on Wednesday to play a quadrangular series, which also features the Karnataka Ranji Trophy side.
Wessels' agent is David Ligertwood (Agency 1) informed TOI that he established contact with the BCCI last week through a 'senior Indian player' and the response was 'positive'. "We manage a few Indian cricketers and one of them spoke to the board about Kepler. The answer was that the board would be interested in speaking to him. I have not heard anything after that, but will follow up shortly," said Ligertwood.
But Ligertwood refused to reveal the identity of the player who spoke to the board. "That is not relevant here. Someone had to speak to the board and the player did it. So let's leave it at that," added Ligertwood.
The player could be any one of Anil Kumble, Ajit Agarkar, VVS Laxman or Harbhajan Singh, all of whom are on the rolls of Athletes 1. Former India coach Greg Chappell is also one of its clients.
Or it could be Sourav Ganguly, who got a contract with the English county side Northamptonshire through Athletes 1. Incidentally, Wessels was the Northants coach at that time. It could even be Harbhajan Singh, who recently joined Surrey through Athletes 1.
Meanwhile, it is learnt that the BCCI is 'not happy' about the quality of applications they have received for the coach's job. With none of the applicants except Dyson being a well-known name, board officials are keen to wait and watch before moving further.