The Background:
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is currently on the lookout for a new head coach. With Anil Kumble stepping down on an unexpected note, the board has requested more applications for the post of head coach.
The new candidates will join the list of already shortlisted candidates- Virender Sehwag, Tom Moody, Dodda Ganesh, Lalchand Rajput and Richard Pybus. So far, former team director Ravi Shastri has only applied for the post.
The Story:
Former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar feels Ravi Shastri is the favourite to land the lucrative job. Before Kumble was appointed the coach in June last year, Shastri had taken the position of team director between 2014 and 2016 and had done a commendable job. He was appointed the director after India lost 3-1 in the Test series against England and enjoyed good success later on. During his tenure, Team India reached the semifinals of World Cup 2015, as well as the World Twenty20 2016 in addition to winning the Test series in Sri Lanka after 22 years and the Test series win against South Africa at home.
He had applied for the job in 2016 but the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) chose Kumble over him. But with Shastri applying again for the job, Gavaskar feels the former India international is the front-runner to become India’s next coach.
“Ravi (Shastri) actually was the one where the turnaround actually started for the Indian cricket team back in 2014. After India lost in England, the BCCI asked him to come in as a team director… suddenly there was a change in the team’s fortunes over a period of time. Now that he’s applied, he’s probably the man who is going to get the job,” Gavaskar told NDTV.
Read More: (Shikhar Dhawan says Ravi Shastri has a different aura than that of Kumble)
Gavaskar further said while the likes of Sehwag and Moody will be strong contenders, Shastri’s experience puts him ahead of his competitors. Gavaskar also said the CAC would keep in mind to appoint someone with whom the team feels comfortable especially after Kumble’s acrimonious departure.
“There’s (Virender) Sehwag, (Tom) Moody who has done a wonderful job with the Sunrisers Hyderabad (in the Indian Premier League)… yes, there are candidates who are around but Ravi has the experience. Ravi has been with the team before, he seems comfortable with the team,” Gavaskar said and added:“I would imagine the CAC would go back to a person the team feels comfortable with and give him the job.”