Crowe withdraws name from ''Chappell's Successor Run'' for now

Wellington, New Zealand, July 22 (UNI) Clearing all speculations, former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe today ruled out any possibility of taking up the 'high-profile' Team India coach's job in the near future.

The 44-year-old Kiwi batsman said he was surprised to find his name included on the BCCI's short-list of candidates for the position as reported in the media a few days back.

Crowe said though he was not ruling out coaching the subcontinent team at a later date, but at present he is not interested in the matter.

He also said he had already informed his mind to his former India colleague Ravi Shastri, who is also a member of the five-member coach selection committe being headed by BCCI president Sharad Pawar.

''One can never count out the possibility of consulting for anyone in the future,'' he was quoted by the New Zealand media as saying, adding, ''I back my knowledge and ability to impart it.'' The 1985 Wisden Cricketer of the Year further added that ''the idea of coaching India on the back of an ad-hoc nomination from an anonymous fan was verging on the ludicrous, and was certainly not his way of conducting formal business''.

Interestingly, Crowe's name crept up after he was unknowingly nominated for the 'pot-bolier' India job by a mystery woman named Aishwarya Venkataraghavan.

His name was the sixth in line with Leicester's Tim Boon, Queensland's Terry Oliver, former Sri Lanka coach John Dyson, South African duo of Dave Nosworthy and Kepler Wessels, and former India wicket-keeper Chandrakant Pandit, being the other five in the fray to fill in the vaccant shoes of former coach Greg Chappell.

UNI