Ravi Shastri has informed some cricket board members that he is planning to part ways with the national team after the forthcoming T20I World Cup when his contract ends, it is learnt. Some of the other support staff, meanwhile, are already in talks with IPL teams. Team India’s backroom may soon undergo a total revamp.
Head coach Ravi Shastri, bowling coach Bharat Arun, fielding coach R Sridhar and batting coach Vikram Rathour are all set to move on after the T20 World Cup to be held across October-November in the UAE.
Ravi Shastri Plans To Part Ways As Coach Of India After T20I World Cup
Ravi Shastri has informed some cricket board members that he is planning to part ways with the national team when his contract ends. Some of the other support staff, meanwhile, are already in talks with IPL teams. The cricket board also wants a new group on board, sources said.
Ravi Shastri first took over the team in 2014 as director till the T20 World Cup in 2016 after which Anil Kumble was appointed for a year. He was made the full-time coach in 2017 after India’s defeat in the Champions Trophy final. With Ravi Shastri as a coach, India won two away series in Australia before reaching the finals of the World Test Championship last month.
Bharat Arun was instrumental in making India’s bowling one of the most feared in the world while R Sridhar played a role in the evolution of the team as a sturdy fielding side. However, India could not land an ICC trophy during their tenure, losing in the semifinal of the 50-over World Cup in 2019 and the final of the World Test Championship.
The setbacks aside, India made massive leaps in their four-year tenure, clean-sweeping Test series in West Indies and Sri Lanka, and putting on creditable shows in South Africa and England. At home, they were near-invincible, defeating Australia, England and South Africa.
During this period, India’s bench strength increased manifold — as borne out by the staggering series win in Australia in 2020/21 where key players were ruled out due to injuries— with a swelling pool of ready-for-international cricketers.
BCCI has set an upper age limit for the head coach job to 60. At 59, Ravi Shastri will only have the chance to lead the team for another year, so both BCCI & the head coach is set to explore other options. There are indications from the BCCI which suggests that the board is now looking beyond Ravi Shastri.
Rahul Dravid Is One Of The Frontrunners To Take Over As India’s Coach If He Decides To Apply
Ravi Shastri is widely credited with infusing the streak of resilience that has come to define this team. His chemistry with Virat Kohli was visible even as he groomed the youngsters in the team – the blossoming of Rishabh Pant is a case in point. But now, the cricket board has decided that a change is needed for the team to reach the next level, and emerge as world-beaters in all forms of the game.
According to protocol, the board will invite applications for the coaching positions after the T20 World Cup. Some officials are already pointing to Rahul Dravid, the NCA chief and coach of India ‘A’ and U-19 sides — and the second-string international side that performed impressively in Sri Lanka last month by winning the ODI series.
Rahul Dravid’s experience in working with most of the current senior team, especially those who had been India-A regulars, would make him one of the frontrunners if he decides to apply.
However, when asked about this option during the Lanka tour, he said: “I have enjoyed the experience of working with these guys, it has been great. I have not given any other thoughts to anything else. There are a lot of challenges in doing full-time roles, so I really don’t know,” he said.
Incidentally, Rahul Dravid’s contract with the NCA ends in September. Rahul Dravid has been touted as a potential head coach ever since his retirement in 2012. However, pundits and former cricketers close to him have often suggested that the 48-year-old is reluctant to put up with the immense travel and trips away from home that comes with the job.