Yet to interview Phil Simmons for post of Team India head coach, says Sourav Ganguly

New Delhi: Former India captain Sourav Ganguly, part of the Board of Control for Cricket in India's  (BCCI) Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), said that the three-member panel needs more time to finalise the next coach for the Indian cricket team. 

While addressing the media during a press conference in Mumbai on Monday, Ganguly added that they want to have the captain Virat Kohli on the same page before making the big announcement.

The CAC met on Monday to interview the candidates for the high-profile post. Other than Ravi Shastri, the Indian cricket board received applications from Virender Sehwag, Tom Moody, Richard Pybus, Dodda Ganesh, Lalchand Rajput, Lance Klusener, Rakesh Sharma, Phil Simmons and Upendranath Bramhachari.

Ganguly also revealed that Simmons was the only prospective candidate who could not be interviewed. He also said that credit needs to be given to Kohli as he did not give any inputs on names and kept himself away from the entire process.

Former coach Anil Kumble stepped down as India’s coach last month saying that skipper Virat Kohli had reservations with his ‘style’ before Team India left for the recently-concluded West Indies tour without Kumble. He also refused a two-week extension offered to him by the BCCI. There was a lot of tension between the coach and captain due to difference in working styles.