Coach Shastri gets his own favourite support staff

Wednesday 19th July 2017 08:43 EDT
 
 

Ravi Shastri, who was appointed as India's cricket coach, will have his own favourite people as support staff. The three-member Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Saurab Ganguly and VVS Laxman while recommending Ravi Shastri's name for the coach's job recommended the names of former India pacer Zaheer Khan for the team's bowling coach and batting legend Rahul Dravid as overseas batting coach. But Shastri wanted his own men as his support staff. The BCCI conceded to Shastri's demand and appointed former India and Tamil Nadu medium-pace bowler Bharat Arun as bowling coach while current batting coach Sanjay Bangar has been elevated to the title of assistant coach. R Sridhar will continue as fielding coach.

Arun will join the Indian team on a two-year period until the end of the 2019 ICC World Cup. Bangar also will have the same duration. Interestingly, the trio had been roped into the Indian team's backroom personnel in August 2014 as assistants to then coach Duncan Fletcher during the rejig after the 1-3 Test series loss in England, and were praised by Shastri following India's win in the subsequent ODI series win on the same tour. While Bangar and Sridhar were given one-year extensions in June 2016, the Indian cricket team has not had a bowling coach since Arun's contract expired last year.

What is not clear yet, however, is the nature and the roles of Zaheer Khan and Rahul Dravid with the current Indian team. Shastri, while addressing the media, did say this on the matter: "It all depends on for how many days Zaheer and Dravid want to assist team. Their services are most welcome."

The decision to appoint Arun, as well as promote Bangar and extend Sridhar's contracts, was taken at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai by the chairman of the Committee of Administrators (CoA) Vinod Rai after he heard recommendations from the four-member committee formed in the wake of Shastri's appointment to take a call on the assistant coaches of the Indian team. The latest committee consisting of acting board president CK Khanna, acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary, BCCI CEO Rahul Johri and original CoA member Diana Edulji consulted with Shastri, who stated emphatically that "as far as a full-time support is concerned, I will need to decide on it because it is me who will be working with them for next two years."


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