New Delhi: With Sandeep Patil withdrawing, Mohinder ‘Jimmy’ Amarnath is the only Indian in contention for the Team India coach’s job.

However, the number of overseas aspirants is now three with Desmond Haynes, who has coached Sussex and Hampshire, accepting the Board’s invitation to present himself for an interview. He joins Greg Chappell and Tom Moody.

The West Indian great of the Eighties didn’t, of course, send his CV.

John Emburey (not John Inverarity as was assumed), though, declined the invitation. The former England A boss has no plans to discard the Middlesex head coach’s hat.

The specially constituted six-member committee, which includes three former captains ? Srinivas Venkatraghavan, Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri ? will interview the quartet here on May 19.

According to Board secretary S.K. Nair, May 20 is going to be the ‘reserve’ day for completing the interviews. The committee may make its recommendation straightaway or take a day or two.

Its recommendation will then be placed before the working committee. Right now, that body isn’t expected to meet before the first week of June.

Patil has cited existing commitments with Oman (which, incidentally, makes its Asia Cup debut next February) as a top reason for saying ‘no’. However, he perhaps also sensed the race is essentially between the foreigners.

“Unless Amarnath’s must-have-a-desi-coach campaign gains enormously in the next few days, John Wright’s successor is also going to be a foreigner,” a well-placed source told The Telegraph on Friday.

If stature gets weightage, then Chappell is on. On the other hand, young Moody won’t be an also-ran if the committee feels he has more ‘hunger’ than his iconic compatriot. In any case, having been an allrounder has lifted his credentials.

Haynes, though, can be the ‘spoiler’...