Virat Kohli suggests Daniel Vettori’s name for India coach
VISAKHAPATAM: Former New Zealand left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori, who is currently the head coach of Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore and Big Bash League side Brisbane Heat, could find himself in the running for the position of India’s national coach.
India and RCB skipper Virat Kohli, who took over the reins of the Test side from MS Dhoni after the latter’s retirement from the game’s longest format in December 2014, has suggested Vettori’s name for the high-profile job. In line with the trend of international captains getting to have a say in the appointment of a coach – considering the way Greg Chappell and Gary Kirsten were handed the responsibilities in the past – Kohli seems to be convinced that Vettori is the right man for the job.
Sources confirmed that Vettori’s name has indeed been suggested by Kohli but there was no confirmation yet if the BCCI is giving the New Zealander a serious thought yet.
With India scheduled to play 18 Test matches between June 2016-March 2017, the appointment of a national coach could come around any time soon.
Vettori announced his retirement from international cricket in March last year after New Zealand suffered a heartbreak in the final of the ICC World Cup in Melbourne against Australia. Soon after hanging his boots, the 37-year-old from Auckland took up his first coaching role when Brisbane Heat came calling in April 2015.
He had already been coaching the Royal Challengers in the IPL since 2014 and is therefore two years into the role of a coach, a job that he seems to be enjoying thoroughly.
Vettori replaced the experienced Stuart Law at Brisbane signing a three-year contract. It is now to be seen if India do go by Kohli’s suggestion and hand Vettori an offer letter, or will he be able to wriggle out of his Big Bash duties?
The Kiwi has been full of praise for Kohli too in his last few years at the RCB, first as skipper and then coach. Incidentally, when he took over as the RCB captain in 2013, Kohli had replaced Vettori for the role.
BCCI approaching Rahul Dravid for the role of the head coach but the former India captain later said he would have to weigh the decision with a lot of consideration. “Any decision that I make at this stage of my life would depend on whether I have the bandwidth to do all of these things,” Dravid was quoted as saying in early April, after which he got busy coaching the Delhi Daredevils.
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