Former South African coach Graham Ford and his Ashes-winning England counterpart Duncan Fletcher have emerged as last-minute contenders for the Indian job.
A Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) source said that although Australian Dav Whatmore was the only person to have formally applied for the job, the seven-member committee appointed to find a successor to Greg Chappell might look beyond.
"The only application that lies with the Board is that of Whatmore. The committee will have to decide first whether put out an advertisement or decide on the application on hand," the BCCI source said.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar is reported to be the lone voice in the committee - which will meet on Monday in Bangalore - calling for an Indian to be appointed while the senior players in the team seemed to be in favour of a foreigner.
Ford was the coach of South African team between 1999 and 2001 and oversaw the immediate difficult period after the match-fixing scandal.
The 46-year-old Ford has the credit of guiding the Natal team which featured many of the current and recent South African players, like Shaun Pollock and Jonty Rhodes, besides the late West Indian fast bowling legend Malcolm Marshall.
Ford was also the Director of Coaching with the Kent County Cricket Club between 2001 and 2004 before returning to his homeland to join the Dolphins team.
Fletcher quit as England coach after the World Cup in the Caribbean in March-April.
The former Zimbabwe captain helped Michael Vaughan's men beat Australia 2-1 in 2005 and win back the Ashes urn after a gap of 16 years.
