South African Graham Ford is India’s new cricket coach. On Saturday, Indian cricket board (BCCI) treasurer N Srinivasan said Ford, currently director of cricket of English county side Kent, had been appointed for a year.
He said the coach selection committee, which spent over an hour-and-a-half with former England spinner John Emburey, the second ‘candidate’, had agreed that Ford could choose when he would begin, after talking to Kent.
A top BCCI official said a year was enough to judge Ford, as "it will be a full year of cricket". "We play England, Pakistan and Australia, we can judge him," he said.
The two things in Ford’s favour were his "experience with international teams" (he was South Africa coach) and that he was the players’ choice. Ford will be the first non-Test player to coach India. The news of his candidature was first reported by HT on May 29.