Cuttack: Former India cricketer Dinesh Mongia is likely to be appointed as the head coach of men’s cricket team in Odisha ahead of the upcoming domestic season.
According to sources, the Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) has already held a discussion with 46-year-old Mongia, who retired from all forms of cricket in 2019, and he is likely to visit the state on April 21 and meet the players who are currently attending a training camp for the probables.
Odisha’s poor run at this Ranji season prompted OCA to look for a new coach. With a lone win against Bengal, two defeats and four draws, the state team had ended its outing at the fifth position in Ranji Trophy Elite Group ‘A’. The association had shortlisted four names from the application received for the head coach post. Among them only one, Rashmiranjan Parida, from Odisha was in the race. The other two were Ranji selector for Maharashtra for the 2005 season Surendra Bhave and former cricketer Kiran Powar, the sources added.
While reports suggest that the OCA has decided on Mongia, who had earlier served as head coach of Arunachal Pradesh, the latter is keen on a bowling coach and therefore, the association may pick either Deepak Mangaraj or Sanjay Satpathy for the post.
A classy batsman, Mongia made his debut for India against Australia in Pune in 2001 and played 57 ODIs and a lone T20I. He was part of India’s 2003 World Cup side that reached the final. He was banned by BCCI for joining the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL). Though ICL players were given amnesty by the BCCI later, Mongia did not play any international games since. He played for India in an ODI for the last time in 2007.
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