Ford, 46, who had coached South Africa between 1999 and 2001, pipped former England spinner John Emburey to be the coach of India.

The decision to appoint Ford, at present the director of training in English country team Kent, came to a two-hour meeting of a special committee set up by the Indian cricket board which also interviewed 54-year-old Emburey here on Saturday night.

"The seven-member special committed headed by BCCI President Sharad Pawar has decided to appoint Ford as the Indian team coach initially for one year", cricket board Treasurer N Srinivasan told reporters here.

The decision will have to be approved by the working committee of the Indian cricket board at its meeting in Delhi on June 12, he said, adding it is at that meeting Ford would inform the board when he would take up his new assignment.

Ford, who was assistant to late South African Bob Woolmer as South African coach, had guided the Proteas as coach during one of the most turbulent times for that country's cricket when it was rocked by match-fixing allegations against some of its leading players. He quit as South Africa coach and joined Kent in 2004.

The Indian cricket board's special committee, which also had in it former India captains Sunil Gavaskar and Srinivasan Venkataraghavan, former all-rounder Ravi Shastri, who was the Manager during recent series in Bangladesh, had invited Ford and Emburey for the interview after the committee's meeting in Bangalore on June 4 rejected former Bangladesh and Sri Lankan coach Dav Whatmore.

Ford was said to have enjoyed the backing of some senior members of the Indian cricket team at present. Greg Chappell's two-year tenure as Indian coach came to an end in April this year after India made exit from the World Cup in the very first round.

His career as coach with India had begun on a rousing note with victory in 16 one-day international matches but degenerated into controversies involving the Australian and some Indian players, particularly Sourav Ganguly.

Graham Ford was born in Natal province of South Africa on November 16, 1960 and had represented the province in cricket, tennis football and rugby. He never played cricket at the top level.

Under Ford as coach, South Africa had won 16 of the 33 Tests it played, lost eight and drew nine. In ODIs, South Africa featured in 83 matches, won 52 and lost 28.

In Kent, Ford is reported to have earned the admiration of domestic and overseas, including Indians, players.