Harish Kotian offers a quick look at the six former players in the running to be selected for world cricket's most-sought-after job.
The most high-profile job in world cricket is up for grabs.
Six former cricketers have thrown their hat into the ring -- including incumbent Ravi Shastri -- for the post of the Indian cricket team's head coach.
The Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), headed by the legendary Kapil Dev, will pick the head coach after conducting interviews with all six candidates in Mumbai on Friday.
Besides Dev, India's first World Cup-winning skipper, the newly-appointed CAC comprises Anshuman Gaekwad and former women's team captain Shantha Rangaswamy.
The contract of the current coaching staff expires after the tour of the West Indies, where India plays three T20 Internationals, three ODIs and two Tests, from August 3 to September 3.
A look at the six candidates in the fray:
Ravi Shastri
Ravi Shastri is the clear favourite to continue as head coach, having got the backing from none other than India captain Virat Kohli.
"With Ravi bhai, all of us have a great camaraderie. Everyone in the team shares mutual respect and we have done really well together as a group. We will definitely be very happy if he continues as the coach," Kohli had said last month before the team left for the West Indies.
Under Shastri's guidance, India won a maiden Test series in Australia earlier this year and are ranked number one in Tests.
However, the team management, including Shastri, did receive some flak for their team selections after India was knocked out in the semi-finals of the ICC World Cup by New Zealand.
The 57-year-old former India cricketer and commentator also served as India's Director of Cricket from August 2014 to June 2016.
Mike Hesson
Mike Hesson is an experienced coach at the international level, having coached New Zealand for six years before resigning last year.
Under him, New Zealand reached the final of the 2015 World Cup, where they lost to Australia.
New Zealand also had a semi-final finish at the 2016 World Twenty20 in India and a home Test series win over England in April 2018 which lifted them to third on the world rankings under his tutelage.
Hesson, 44, recently quit as the coach of IPL team Kings XI Punjab after just one season, after applying for the India job.
Tom Moody
Tom Moody is as experienced as any other contender when it comes to coaching at the highest level.
The 53-year-old Australian was part of Sunrisers Hyderabad for the last seven years and guided the IPL franchise to its lone IPL title in 2016.
Moody also took the Sunrisers to the IPL play-offs five times.
The tall Aussie has more than a decade of coaching experience. He first took over as Sri Lanka coach in 2005 and under him the team made it to the 2007 World Cup final.
He also coached Kings XI Punjab, besides teams in the Pakistan Super League and Australian Big Bash.
Moody is on the lookout for a new assignment after being replaced by Trevor Bayliss at Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Lalchand Rajput
Current Zimbabwe coach Lalchand Rajput has applied for the India head coach's job.
The 57-year-old was the manager of the Indian team that lifted the inaugural T20 World Cup in South Africa in 2007, followed by the CB tri-series title in Australia the following year.
The former Mumbai opener, who represented India in two Tests and 4 ODIs, also coached Afghanistan and domestic side Assam.
Robin Singh
Former fielding coach Robin Singh is also one of the candidates for the India coach's job.
Robin, who played in one Test and 136 ODIs for India, has never coached a team at the international level. Known for his fielding abilities during his playing days, he served as India's fielding coach from 2007 to 2009.
He had earlier coached the India 'A' and India Under-19 teams.
Robin, 55, is also part of the Mumbai Indians coaching staff since 2010 and coach of Barbados Tridents in the Caribbean Premier League from 2013. He also coached the Hong Kong team in 2004 and had stints in the Bangladesh and Sri Lanka Premier Leagues in the past.
Phil Simmons
Former West Indies all-rounder Phil Simmons has many years of experience as a coach.
In 2004 he started out coaching Zimbabwe, but it was for just a year.
The 56-year-old Simmons then had a successful stint with Ireland, helping them qualify for the 2011 and 2015 World Cups, where they achieved significant victories against stronger opponents like England, West Indies and Zimbabwe.
However, his tenure as West Indies head coach lasted just a year, from 2015 to 2016.
Till recently he was in charge of the Afghanistan cricket team, but after the World Cup earlier this year chose not to renew his term.
Photographs: BCCI, Getty Images
