After Graham Ford dealt a major blow to the Board of Control for Cricket in India by declining its offer to coach India the team, Sunil Gavaskar on Monday said they are "back to the square one" on the matter.

"We are back to square one, that is a fact of life," Gavaskar, who was one of the seven members appointed to select India coach, told reporters in Mumbai.

The former captain said it is not yet clear what arrangement the BCCI would make for the tour of England, beginning at the end of this month.

"I don't know what the BCCI's thinking is, whether it will start the process [of appointing a coach] all over again or make a short-term appointment as it did for the Bangladesh tour," he said.

Ford, the former South Africa coach who's now director of coaching at Kent County Cricket Club, was the favourite among the senior players, including skipper Rahul Dravid while Gavaskar had suggested the name of former England spinner John Emburey as the second contender for the job.

BCCI's Working Committee will meet on Tuesday in New Delhi to discuss the new situation.