There is an air of confusion surrounding the appointment of the foreign coach to the Indian team, thanks to the conflicting reports that have been doing the rounds of late. To add fuel to the fire, the former president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Raj Singh Dungarpur has been quoted in the Gulf News on Saturday as saying that the decision on the appointment of the coach will be made by October 31.

Dungarpur was one of the BCCI's five member panel of interviewers who held discussions with two of the three candidates - Australia's Greg Chappell and New Zealand's John Wright in Chennai on October 23. "If we have to appoint a new coach, the earlier we do it the better. India play their first Test match against Zimbabwe in New Delhi from November 18. So the new coach should take charge at least on November 15," Dungarpur said.

When asked about Geoff Marsh's about turn after withdrawing from the race, Dungarpur replied that "Marsh did not come for the interview but sent a two line fax saying he wants to be interviewed. But if Marsh does not come before October 31, we will be compelled to take a decision from among the two. We are waiting to hear from Marsh. Unfortunately we can't wait. At the moment we are in no man's land."

The National Cricket Academy (NCA) committee chairman said "We are keen to know the availability of all these coaches and how quickly they can assume their duties. In the case of Chappell, he has a contractual obligation with the South Australian Cricket Association while Marsh is a sitting selector in the Australian Cricket Board." Dungarpur added "We will like to have the best coach from among the three but we have to take into consideration the time factor, which is equally important."

To a query on what role has Gaekwad to play in future, Dungarpur said "The decision was taken by the general body to go in for a foreign coach. However, Gaekwad will have a role to play with his vast experience, knowledge and commitment to the game. He has a sharp eye and can detect talent. We hope to utilise his services," added Dungarpur.

On earlier reports which appeared quoting Dungarpur as saying that Indian coaches were biased, he said that some of the reports carried in Indian newspapers had the names of Indian coaches along with portions of the Gulf News interview. Praising Gaekwad for accepting the offer at short notice, Dungarpur said "In fact, Gaekwad has done a wonderful job standing in as a coach. On behalf of the board and Indian cricket I deeply appreciate his work. He is the only one who could have done it during such a period, and he has done a grand job," Dungarpur said.

Last week, BCCI chief AC Muthiah after the meeting the candidates, said that no decision would be taken immediately although the Board was keen to expedite the process. "We'll have to find out when they're ready. We would like them to take over as soon as possible", he said. He was however not willing to name a date by which the new appointee would be ready to assume office.

According to Muthiah, the Board was in the process of discussing terms and conditions with the candidates after which the matter would be put before the Board's working and finance committees. The Board President declared that the objective of the whole exercise of opting for a foreign coach was to come out victorious in the 2003 World Cup. On Marsh's offer that he be considered for the post, Muthiah said "The Board is expecting to have discussions with Marsh in a few days."

The day before the interviews were held in Chennai, BCCI secretary Jaywant Lele had said that a decision on the appointment of foreign coach would not be made before February. Lele said "It will not happen in a hurry, there are a lot of formalities and procedures which have to be undergone before someone starts functioning.'' He added that the matter would be put before the Board's working and finance committees and the earliest the foreign coach would take over was not before the Australian tour of India in February-March. "Only after formal clearance, the coach will start functioning and I don't see it happening before that time," he said.

According to present indications then, even if the appointment is made, as Dungarpur has said, by October 31, with many formalities to be completed, it is unlikely that the foreign coach will be able to take over till early next year. But has the last been heard on the subject? One suspects there can be more twists in the long running script.

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