It will be a great challenge: Marsh

Frontrunner for the Indian cricket team coaching job Geoff Marsh of Australia said it will be a ''great challenge" to coach the talented Indian team.

Speaking after meeting officials the Board of Control for Cricket in India, including president A C Muthiah and former president Raj Singh Dungarpur, in Bombay on Tuesday, Marsh said: "Cricket has been my life and it is hard to get away from this game. I have had about a year's rest with my family and I think I am ready for a new challenge."

Asked how his meeting with BCCI officials went, Marsh said, "Very well," before adding: "However, I can't discuss about it as the board officials will take a decision in a day or two."

The former Australia opener said he is looking forward to getting involved with the Indian team. "The Indian team consists of a lot of talented players and some young and exciting players. It will be great challenge to be associated with them.

"Not only the players but the whole nation gets involved when India is playing and that makes it more interesting for me to be involved with them, as coaches are always looking for great challenges," he said.

Marsh felt the Indian team did ''quite positively" in the tournaments at Nairobi and Sharjah. "Sourav Ganguly handled the team well, with a few youngsters showing lot of promise. And my job will be to mould these talents into a winning unit.

"With the amount of people who play the game in India, I believe that there is a lot of talent and I just want to make the players fulfill their desire and do their best," he said.

When queried why he chose to make a comeback after quitting as the Aussie coach in Sri Lanka last year, Marsh said: "I think cricket is in my blood and has become part of my life. I wanted to see whether I was the right person for the job especially after the Indian board officials approached me.

"Many former Australian Test players have been coaching other countries round the world and I thought I will give it a try here, as the conditions in the subcontinent will be different from Australia and that will be the biggest test for me."

Dungarpur later said a decision on Marsh's appointment will be made only after the board's Marketing and Finance Committee meets in Bombay on November 2.

Mail Cricket Editor