Kaif to replace Dravid

Mumbai, October 24 : Uttar Pradesh middle order batsman Mohd Kaif will replace injured Indian team vice-captain Rahul Dravid for the remai...

Mumbai, October 24 : Uttar Pradesh middle order batsman Mohd Kaif will replace injured Indian team vice-captain Rahul Dravid for the remainder of the Sharjah tri-series, the Cricket Board BCCI announced on Tuesday.

8220;Kaif will leave for Sharjah in a day or two to replace Dravid who has suffered a fractured finger while fielding in the slips during India8217;s last match against Zimbabwe. Dravid is expected to be out of action for two weeks and will return home immediately,8221; Board secretary Jaywant Lele informed PTI from Baroda.

8220;I think so,8221; was Lele8217;s answer to a query whether the injury meant that Dravid, one of the batting mainstays for India, will not be fit in time for the one-off Test in Dhaka against Bangladesh scheduled from November 10-14.The Test would be Bangladesh8217;s inaugural one after being accorded full member status at the last AGM of the International Cricket Council.

Meanwhile, Anshuman Gaekwad would be persuaded to continue as the Indian team8217;s coach till all formalities regarding the appointment of the new foreign coach is completed, Lele said.

8220;Gaekwad has already been appointed the coach till the Test match in Dhaka and will be persuaded to continue till the new coach is able to take over,8221; the Board secretary said. Lele angrily refuted reports from Sharjah that the new reign coach will be able to take over only in February prior to the Aussies8217; scheduled tour to India. 8220;A lot of formalities have to be completed which include clearance from the authorities for paying the new coach in foreign exchange. 8220;I do not know how much time these will take. It8217;s all rubbish to say he can take over in February only. We may get the clearance in a week or a month or it may take longer,8221; Lele fumed.

Australians Geoff Marsh and Greg Chappell and New Zealander John Wright are in the running for the high-profile job. The BCCI officials interviewed Chappell and Wright in Chennai on Monday and also announced that the third candidate Marsh will be interviewed at a later date. The matter wll then be referred to the Board8217;s high-powered working and finance committees before the final choice is made.