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Dear Mr.Vinod Rai/Mr.Amitabh Choudhary,
At the outset we would like to express our appreciation for the CoA’s and BCCI’s support and encouragement to the CAC in the process of identifying the next head coach of the Indian cricket team.
You will be well aware that we put our heart and soul into the process, approaching a task made delicate by the recent developments with a clear head and with the sole aim of providing the Indian team with the best resources possible to become the world beaters they are capable of being. It has both pained and disappointed us therefore to see the light in which CAC has been portrayed in various sections of the media. While we all know that none of these reports are true it is out in public domain and the average cricket fan will in good faith believe them.
There have been suggestions that the CAC has exceeded its ambit in going with Mr.Khan and Mr.Dravid and that these two legends of Indian cricket have been foisted on the head coach. We also bring to your notice the email you had circulated to us saying that we had absolutely free hand in picking the coach of the Indian cricket team. Also we did inform you over the phone along with Rahul Johri and Amitabh Choudhary of all that transpired immediately after the meeting was over. As we have outlined , that is not the case and it is imperative that the cricket loving public at large is made aware of the reality. We could do it ourselves, of course but we didn’t want to further queer the pitch.So we would respectfully request you to clear the air and set the record straight in this regard.
It is our desire that you come public about the transparency of the process of identifying the next head coach so that these falsehoods are put to rest. Taking various factors into account, we decided that Mr.Ravi Shastri was the best man for the job but we also felt that Indian cricket would be better served if Mr.Shastri had the services of Mr.Zaheer Khan as bowling consultant and Mr.Rahul Dravid as batting consultant for overseas Test matches of which several are lined up in the next two years.
We spoke to Mr.Shastri about getting Mr.Khan and Mr.Dravid on board in these capacities and he readily agreed to the idea of having them in the set up so that it would benefit the team and Indian cricket as a whole in time to come. It was only after getting Mr.Shastri’s consent that we also recommended the names of Mr.Khan and Mr.Dravid in their respective capacities.
We informed Mr.Choudhary of all that transpired immediately after the meeting was over. As we have outlined, that is not the case and it is imperative that the cricket loving public at large is made aware of the reality. We could do it ourselves but we don’t want to further queer the pitch. So we would respectfully request you to clear the air and set the record straight in this regard.
The three of us have played our cricket with great integrity and we have brought this trait in fulfilling this important responsibility bestowed upon us by the BCCI. While we are not looking for plaudits we do not appreciate the tone and falsehoods of some of the narratives.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
With Warm Regards,
Sachin Tendulkar
Sourav Ganguly
VVS laxman