'Neither I nor the BCCI have...' - Jay Shah denies claims of approaching Australian players for coach position

While the search for the Indian coach is still on, there were various reports which suggested that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has approached Australia's Justin Langer and Ricky Ponting for the position. However, later it surfaced on social media that the former Australian players weren't interested in the position and had turned down the offer. Nevertheless, BCCI secretary Jay Shah denied all claims of approaching the Australians and said it's a lengthy process and will take some time. 

"Neither I nor the BCCI have approached any former Australian cricketer with a coaching offer. The reports circulating in certain media sections are completely incorrect. It’s crucial that our coach has an in-depth knowledge of our domestic cricket framework to truly elevate Team India to the next level," said Jay Shah. 

The deadline to submit the application is May 27 and until then the Board hasn't approached anyone as of now. They are open to all sorts of candidates from all over the world and will be looking for someone who has in-depth knowledge of Indian history. 

'It just doesn't fit into my lifestyle right now' - Ricky Ponting on coach's position

Australia's former captain and star batter, Ricky Ponting talked about the head coach position and clearly mentioned that it doesn't fit into his 'lifestyle' currently. Moreover, indulging in the post will keep the coach away from IPL as well which might not be a great thing since he is happy working in IPL. Hence, he turned down the offer. 

"Everyone knows if you take a job working with the Indian team you can't be involved in an IPL team, so it would take that out of it as well. Also, a national head coach is a 10 or 11-month-of-the-year job, and as much as I'd like to do it, it just doesn't fit into my lifestyle right now and the things that I enjoy doing," said Ricky Ponting.