Mumbai: Playing down the controversy stirred by Virat Kohli’s interaction with actress girlfriend Anushka Sharma during an IPl match, BCCI Secretary Anurag Thakur on Wednesday said no player is above the game and investigations are on in the alleged code of conduct breach. Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Kohli was spotted chatting with Anushka in the VIP box during a rain break in the team’s game against Delhi Daredevils at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Players are not allowed to interact with anyone other than the dug-out members during a match under the anti-corruption guidelines. Thakur assured that the star will be dealt with as per law. “According to the IPl guidelines, the anti-corruption unit issues a notice and they demand explanations. According to it, we did whatever we needed to do. No player is above the game. And whatever the rules of the game say, investigations will happen according to it and it has been like that always,” Thakur told media at a press-conference here on Wednesday.
‘We are short listing candidates for coach’
Without setting a time frame for the appointment of an Indian cricket team coach, Thakur said that the top brass of the Board was in the process of finalising a shortlist of candidates for the high-profile job. The coach’s position has been lying vacant after Duncan Fletcher’s contract expired after the World Cup and Thakur said that the Board wants to pick the best possible man for the job. “Regarding the coach I would say that good things come to them who wait. We are in the process of finalising the coach. It may take some time but we want to pick the right coach for the Indian cricket team who can deliver in the coming years,” Thakur said. “We are in the process of finalising the cricket advisory committee and also shortlisting the name of the coaches, who are available for the Indian cricket team. Once that process is completed we will be in a position to take the final call. We are looking at all the positions whether it is the main coach or the support staff for the Indian cricket team,” he added.
Roping Former cricketers as advisors
Thakur also reiterated the Board’s decision to rope in former captains Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly as advisors to guide Indian cricket. “I think we are very clear that we want to utilise the services of former cricketers, who can give BCCI some time for the promotion of the game of cricket. “They can share ideas, give their opinion, they can be advisors to the Board and we want to involve them to improve the standard of domestic cricket and to improve our performance overseas in the overall interest of cricket,” Thakur said.