The Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) member Anshuman Gaekwad has revealed why they have given the top priority to Ravi Shastri for the next Indian head coach role.
On Friday (16th August), the CAC interviewed the six shortlisted candidates to find out the next Indian head coach. Apart from Gaekwad, Kapil Dev and Shantha Rangaswamy were the other members in the CAC.
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Meanwhile, Mike Hesson, Tom Moody, Phil Simmons, Robin Singh and Lalchand Rajput were the shortlisted candidates for that interview along with the present head coach Ravi Shastri. However, on Friday, Simmons pulled out himself from this race.
At the end of that interview, the CAC revealed the top three candidates who could be considered for the next head coach role. In their choice, Shastri was in the top position while Hesson and Moody were in the following two positions, respectively.
Later, the BCCI reappointed Ravi Shastri as the head coach of the national cricket team. This tenure will begin from September 2019 to the end of ICC T20 World Cup 2021.
Ravi Shastri has the advantage – Anshuman Gaekwad
After that interview process, the former Indian cricketer and the two-time head coach of the national team Anshuman Gaekwad clarified the reason for their decision to go with Ravi Shastri. As Shastri knows the Indian players very well and he is well aware of the entire system, the CAC supported him.
Gaekwad claimed, “Being the coach, current coach, knowing the boys, he is well versed with the entire system, while the others were not, they had to start. Somebody knows the system, knows the players very well, can communicate well, he has the advantage.”
In 2014, Ravi Shastri was the team director of the India national cricket team. He continued that post till the end of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.
Later, he has joined as the head coach after the conclusion of the ICC Champions trophy 2017. Since then, India have mostly dominated in world cricket. Under his tenure, India won their maiden bilateral ODI series in South Africa and bilateral Test series in Australia. India also won the Asia Cup 2018 in this period.
In the recently concluded ICC Men’s World Cup 2019, India were the semifinalists. After that tournament, Shastri earned a 45-day extension for the head coach role before retaining this post.
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India captain Virat Kohli has a strong bonding with the head coach Ravi Shastri. Before the ongoing Caribbean tour, Kohli wished to see Shastri in the head coach post for the further time.
However, CAC member Kapil Dev has already clarified that they didn’t consider Kohli’s opinion during the interview process.