Ravi Shastri retained as India head coach: Details here
Ravi Shastri was unanimously re-elected as the Team India head coach on Friday by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Shastri, who was first elected as the Indian coach in 2017, has done a fruitful job so far. Notably, he had the backing of most of the current Indian cricketers, including skipper Virat Kohli. Here are the further details on this.
The CAC reappoints Mr Ravi Shastri as the Head Coach of the Indian Cricket Team. pic.twitter.com/vLqgkyj7I2
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 16, 2019
As per reports, the BCCI had shortlisted five other names off 2,000 applicants, who had applied for the role. While Shastri was a direct entrant, other candidates like Robin Singh, Lalchand Rajput, Mike Hesson, Tom Moody and Phil Simmons too were shortlisted for the role. However, later, on Friday, Simmons pulled out of the role for unknown reasons, leaving four other names in contention.
Following the arrival of the CAC panel members, comprising of Anshuman Gaekwad and Shantha Rangaswamy, they dodged questions on whether Shastri was the favorite. However, it was reported that Robin was the first to be called for the interview procedure, followed by Rajput, who was the team manager of the 2007 ICC World T20 winning side. Meanwhile, some applicants were interviewed via video conference.
Analyzing Shastri's performance so far, India have managed to win more than 70% of their matches under him. His achievements include historic Test series win in Australia, Asia Cup, along with a dominating performance in white-ball cricket against South Africa, away from home. Further, he seems to have the backing of skipper Virat Kohli and several other players.
"We gave marks out of 100. There was a difference between very small numbers, which amazed us as well. Hesson and Moody were very good too," said CAC member Kapil Dev to the media. "Being the current coach, knowing the boys and problems in the team, he is well-versed in the system. Somebody who knows the system, he has the advantage," said Anshuman Gaekwad.
Both Hesson and Moody came close but in the end, Shastri's performance with the Indian cricket team saw the former all-rounder being given his third term at the helm. Team India is playing against Windies at present and Shastri connected with the committee over Skype.
Prior to the team's departure for the tour of Windies, skipper Kohli had lent his support for Shastri. He had also claimed that there was no contact made by the CAC in seeking his opinion. Kapil confirmed the same and said, "We didn't consult Virat Kohli, else we would have asked the entire team. We did not ask anyone."
Given that Shastri shares a cordial relation with the Indian players, this seems to be a good move by the CAC. He has done well as a coach and the results have been telling. His biggest targets will be to win the World T20 next year and the ICC Test Championship in 2021.
