Kirsten set for India coach role

Former South Africa batsman Gary Kirsten looks set to succeed Greg Chappell as India coach.

Kirsten was interviewed on Monday and board secretary Niranjan Shah confirmed that a deal is "almost finalised".

India have been without a coach since Chappell resigned after their first-round World Cup exit in March.

They failed in their attempt to appoint Graham Ford in June after the South African turned down the job despite being the leading candidate.

On that occasion the board were left embarrassed when his name had already been announced as Chappell's successor and they were criticised in some quarters for their handling of the affair.

John Emburey was also interviewed for the post but, like Ford, the Middlesex supremo also rejected India's advances.

A decision on Kirsten is expected later this week, with Shah commenting: "It is more or less finalised.

"There are no other names in the frame at the moment."

The 40-year-old left-handed batsman enjoyed a distinguished playing career, competing in 101 Tests and 185 one-day internationals, before retiring in 2004.

However, his coaching experience is limited to the running of his own academy in Cape Town and a coaching clinic with Zimbabwe in June.

When asked about Kirsten's limited coaching experience, Shah responded by saying: "He is an experienced cricketer. He was a great player."

India currently hold a 1-0 lead over Pakistan in their current Test series after a six-wicket win on Monday in Delhi.

The second Test takes place on Friday in Calcutta before the players move on to Bangalore for the last two Tests in the series.

Source: BBC Sport