India to pick coach from 21-man shortlist

Mumbai - Sachin Tendulkar will tune in from abroad by video link to help choose India's new coach after he was handed the task alongside fellow batting greats Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman.

Tendulkar, Ganguly and Laxman, dubbed the "holy trinity" by Indian media, together with senior official Sanjay Jagdale, will get to work after the flood of 57 applications was whittled down to 21, a statement said on Thursday.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) release added that Tendulkar, who is out of the country, "has confirmed his availability as and when required through video conference facilities".

The high-powered committee has less than a week to pick a coach, with their choice expected to be submitted for approval by June 22. The new coach is likely to be appointed before India's tour of the West Indies in July.

"The said committee... will process and scrutinise all the applications, conduct interviews and seek presentations from candidates as the committee deems fit," BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke said in the statement.

"Should the committee desire to look at all the 57 applications as well, the said will be made available to them."

The BCCI hasn't named any of the candidates, but media reports suggest that the front-runners are former team director Ravi Shastri and current chief selector Sandeep Patil.