South African Graham Ford was on Saturday appointed as India's cricket coach for a one-year period.

"The seven-member Special Committee headed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India President Sharad Pawar [Images] has decided to appoint for as the Indian team coach initially for one year," Board Treasurer N Srinivasan told media persons in Chennai.

Ford's appointment came after a marathon two-hour meeting of the special committee, which also interviewed former England [Images] spinner John Emburey.

"Ford will intimate the BCCI before its working committee meeting in Delhi on June 12 as to when he would be able to join the team," Srinivasan said.

"No ratification (of the committee's decision) is necessary as Board president himself was the chairman of the committee," he said.

Ford, 46, was the coach of the South African team between 1999 and 2002, having taken over from the late Bob Woolmer [Images].

He then joined Kent County Club in 2004 as director of coaching where he has a contract running till 2008.

The special committee had earlier invited Ford and Emburey to make a presentation after its June 4 meeting in Bangalore when it also rejected an application by former Sri Lankan and Bangladesh coach Dav Whatmore.

Ford had an edge over Emburey as he was the favourite among the senior members of the Indian team.