If reports are to be believed, legendary India opener Virender Sehwag has been asked to apply for the post of India coach and is expected to challenge current head coach Anil Kumble for the role.

New Delhi: If reports are to be believed, legendary India opener Virender Sehwag has been asked to apply for the post of India coach and is expected to challenge current head coach Anil Kumble for the role, whose tenure expires following the end of Champions Trophy 2017 on June 18.

Earlier, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) sent out an invite, asking for former cricketers to apply for the Indian coaching hot-seat. By doing so, the BCCI made it clear that Kumble won't be given an automatic extension, but has been given a direct entry into the process where he will once again have to prove his credentials.

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In an interview to the Indian Express, a top BCCI official was quoted as saying that they had approached Sehwag to apply for the job during the recently concluded tenth edition of the Indian Premier League.

"We have contacted Sehwag during the IPL and asked him to consider applying for the job of India coach. But he won’t be the only one applying because we expect other former players to also throw their hats in the ring," a top BCCI official was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.

The official also revealed that the tenure of the next India coach will run till uptil the 2019 World Cup and therefore it is essential that they get the right man for the job.

"The board wants to go through the process of selection of coach again. Also, the next contract is likely to run until the 2019 World Cup, so even the length of the contract has to be taken into consideration before appointing the coach. We don’t want a scenario where the players and the coach are not on the same page," said the BCCI official.

Earlier this month, Cricketnext had broken the story about how the BCCI is miffed with Kumble for his closeness to the Committee of Administrators.

ALSO READ: BCCI Unhappy With India Coach Anil Kumble Knocking 'COA Door' Regularly

In an exclusive conversation with Cricketnext, a senior BCCI official had said that the board is not happy with Kumble for knocking at the doors of the COA time and again and it could be one of the reasons that he is not being given an extension.

"I don’t think he is headed in the right direction. We are not against people voicing their opinion. But yes, there is a way and a protocol that needs to be followed everywhere and it is no different here. You can always confide in people you trust. But to knock at the doors of people who are influential is setting a very wrong precedent, more so, when matters do not involve them. It is only right to speak to the Board when matters concern the day-to-day functioning of BCCI," a senior BCCI official told Cricketnext earlier.

"The BCCI is not happy with Kumble, period. I don’t think we need to speak any further on this," the BCCI official further stated when pressed on the issue.

Kumble is currently with the Indian cricket team in the United Kingdom, as the Men in Blue prepare for their title defence at the ICC Champions Trophy. Whatever be his eventual fate one thing cannot be taken away from him and that is his impeccable record as the team's coach.

India has won each and every series that it has been a part of under Kumble's stewardship so far.