BANGALORE: South African Graham Ford on Monday emerged as prime contender for the job of India coach, with the BCCI inviting him and another unnamed foreigner for discussions on June 9.

A top Board official had earlier informed DNA that the second unnamed candidate was former England off-spinner John Emburey.

Read: John Emburey joins race for Indian job

On Monday, there was speculated that the unnamed foreigner could be the former Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga.

Dav Whatmore, the former Sri Lanka and Bangladesh coach who had been a front-runner all along, was out of the reckoning after the decision by the BCCI Search Committee, appointed to find a successor to Greg Chappell, which met here on Monday evening.

"We have decided to invite Ford and another coach of foreign origin for discussions on June 9 in Chennai," Board Treasurer N Srinivasan, a member of the Search Committee, told reporters after the meeting.

"We have not been able to reach the second person so far but we hope to do it soon," Srinivasan said.

"We had made contact with Whatmore before. By implication you can say that Whatmore is out (of contention)," he added.

Ford, who coached South Africa between 1999 and 2001 and currently Director of Coaching with Kent County Club, threw his hat in the ring only on Monday.

Whatmore on the other hand had been vocal about his keenness to coach the Indian team.

The 53-year-old Australian led Sri Lanka to World Cup success in 1996 and then Bangladesh to a shock victory over the Indians in the recent World Cup in the West Indies.

He sought and met BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah and former captain Ravi Shastri, another member of the Search Committee and Indian team's Cricket Manager, during the recent series in Bangladesh.

Ford worked as assistant to the late Bob Woolmer with the South African team before taking over from him after the 1999 World Cup.

The 46-year-old guided the team during immediate difficult period after the 2000 match-fixing scandal.

Ford also has the credit of guiding the Natal team which featured many of the current and recent South African players, like Shaun Pollock, Lance Klusener and Jonty Rhodes, besides the late West Indian fast bowling legend Malcolm Marshall.

After being removed from the post, he joined Kent where he has been Director of Coaching.