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Venkatesh Prasad denies applying for Team India head coach job, but says he is keen on an assistant`s role
His stated desire may well pose as a challenge to Zaheer Khan, who is also reportedly in the fray to become the bowling coach.
New Delhi: Hours after reports of him applying for the post of Team India head coach hit the stands, former pacer Venkatesh Prasad on Thursday cleared the air by stating that he is keen on taking up the role of the assistant coach or a bowling coach.
“I have made my intentions clear that I am very, very keen to perform the role of an assistant coach or a bowling coach. Which is something I am quite keen about and hope CAC (Cricket Advisory Committee) will take a note of it,” Firstpost quoted Prasad as saying.
The BCCI had extended the deadline to apply for the post of head coach till July 9.
Besides, the 47-year-old also confirmed that he hasn't written to the BCCI or the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), expressing his desire.
"May be (I will write), but this is what I am very keen about (the support staff job), Prasad said. "Whether it's (Virender) Sehwag or Ravi Shastri or whoever it is, I am very very keen to be associated as an assistant coach or a bowling coach which I have done before. And I would like to contribute immensely with all the experience that I have got of playing and coaching," Prasad added.
His stated desire may well pose as a challenge to Zaheer Khan, who is also reportedly in the fray to become the bowling coach. Harbhajan Singh had openly suggested Zaheer's name for the post, and there were reports which claimed that Kumble had recommended the former left-arm seamer during his meeting with BCCI office-bearers and members of Committee of Administrators (COA) on 21 May.
Prasad is currently serving his final year as the chairman of the junior selection committee, which ends this September. He had previously worked as the bowling coach of the national team, helping India win the inaugural World T20 in 2007, and coached the India U-19 team, guiding them to the 2006 World Cup final.
Besides, he also served as head coach of the Uttar Pradesh team and bowling coach for Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Prasad has close working relationships with the likes of Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami thanks to his junior team stints.
Here, it's pertinent to mention that during Kumble's short-lived reign, there was no bowling coach as Jumbo himself assumed that role. Bharat Arun, who was the bowling coach in the pre-Kumble era, is widely expected to return in his old role if Ravi Shastri gets the nod as India's new head coach.