Lalchand Rajput named India's manager for Twenty20 WC

Mahendra Singh Dhoni's leadership skills might be tested in the absence of a coach and senior players © AFP

Lalchand Rajput, India's Under-19 coach, has been named cricket manager of the Indian team for the Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa next month. Rajput will take over from Chandu Borde, who is managing the team on the current tour of England.

Robin Singh and Venkatesh Prasad will continue as fielding and bowling coaches, Rajiv Shukla, vice-president of the Board for Control of Cricket in India, said.

The board is expected to advertise for a new coach to take charge of the team after the Twenty20 tournament. "We want to get a coach as early as possible," Shukla said after a meeting of senior board officials in New Delhi. The Indian team has been without a coach since Greg Chappell stepped down following the team's World Cup exit in March.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni had earlier been named captain of the team for the Twenty20 tournament, which Rahul Dravid, the regular captain, and seniors Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly had decided to skip.

Shukla also said a new National Cricket Academy would be built at Bangalore, for which the Karnataka government is expected to allot land. The board also announced that the Brabourne Stadium would host a Twenty20 game between India and Australia on October 20, following a seven-match ODI series between the two sides.