Narendra Modi as India’s Head Coach: Fake applications include Amit Shah, Sachin Tendulkar, and MS Dhoni
PTC News Desk: Phake candidates using names like MS Dhoni, Amit Shah, Sachin Tendulkar, and Narendra Modi have applied to be the head coach of the Indian men's cricket team.
Over 3,000 applications have been submitted for the position by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), however, the majority of them are from fictitious persons, including politicians and former cricket players.
It is understood that the BCCI got numerous applications in the names of former cricket players Tendulkar, Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh, and Virender Sehwag, among others, as the application period for the position expired on Monday, May 27. Politicians like Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are also listed on the lengthy list.
The BCCI opened up applications for the position on May 13 through Google forms, and they were seeing a lot of fraudulent candidates every day.
Whether the BCCI has received any applications from legitimate applicants who are interested in the role is unclear at this time.
The Indian board has previously had to deal with fraudulent candidates, which took a lot of time for them to review. Approximately 5,000 applications from imposters using celebrity identities were received by the BCCI in 2022, when they invited applicants for the position of head coach. This time, the BCCI used Google forms instead of the previous method of asking prospective candidates to mail their applications.
"The BCCI had a similar answer when imposters applied last year, and the situation is the same this time around. Because it is simple to review all of the applicants' names on one page, the BCCI was forced to ask for applications via Google forms, according to a BCCI official.
The board listed the attributes it was seeking in the team's head coach to lead them to the 2027 50-over World Cup in South Africa in its advertisement.
In addition to "having to meet work expectations and pressures associated with handling marquee athletes," the BCCI's list of requirements for the new head coach included two noteworthy ones: the candidate had to contribute to "developing a world-class Indian cricket team which delivers sustained success in all conditions and formats, inspiring current and future generations of cricketers and stakeholders with their approach to the game."
The T20 World Cup in the USA and the Caribbean next month will mark the start of the next head coach's tenure. Rahul Dravid, the current leader, whose term started in December 2021, has chosen not to request an extension.
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- With inputs from agencies
