``The PCA secretariat has no knowledge about the offer to Sandhu to coach the Punjab Ranji team,'' Pandove said while speaking to The Indian Express this evening. He was reacting to a report in a section of the press that PCA chief Inderjit Singh Bindra had made the offer to Sandhu.

Sandhu, in a telephonic chat from his Mumbai residence, threw light on the matter: ``At no stage did I speak to Mr Bindra about coaching Punjab. In fact, it was Pandove and Daljit Singh (ex-PCA chief coach) who had asked me whether I was interested in coaching Punjab when I was invited by PCA for an off-season camp comprising the Punjab probables at SAS Nagar in mid-June.

``Since the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) had not arrived at a decision on renewing mycontract as coach, I expressed my inability to arrive at an immediate decision. But once I learnt that the MCA had not renewed my two-year contract, I conveyed my availability to Pandove and Daljit.''

Sandhu clarified that during his conversation with the PCA officials on Tuesday he had only confirmed his availability, subject to clearance from his employers Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers (RCF). ``Ultimately, it is for the PCA to decide,'' he added.

``We are keeping our options open on the appointment of a new coach on contact basis. The issue will be discussed at the executive committee and general body meetings which are scheduled to be held on August 23,'' disclosed Pandove.

Sandhu lauds Mankad's appointment: Though Sandhu may have his reasons to feel disappointed at his unceremonious ouster by the MCA, he lauded the appointment of Ashok Mankad as his successor.

``Kaka (Mankad) is the right choice,'' he opined. ``Mumbai's performance graph should go up...I'm really happy that the team is in theright hands,'' he said.

Sandhu, who had called up Mankad this morning to convey his best wishes, said: ``I had gained immense knowledge of the game under his leadership and I used to discuss and seek his advice whenever we met.''

Sandhu cherishes most his association with Mankad, when the latter led the West Zone during the CAB Trophy and Duleep Trophy matches in 1980-81.

``Besides, Kaka, Anshuman Gaekwad was the vice-captain and Polly Umrigar, the manager. To me the trio formed a university in cricket. Whoever was part of the team during that month-long period benefited enormously,'' he recalled.

While reflecting on his association with the Mumbai team, Sandhu took recourse in a quote from Osho Rajneesh to sum it all: ``If you have the sun at your door, you have to open the door to let the sunlight in.'' He drew comparison by saying, ``similarly, even if you are a good coach, the player has to show his willingness to learn.''