Yes, you read it right. Ravi Shastri retained as India head coach till the World Cup T20.
Indian cricket team coach Ravi Shastri’s position was set to end post the conclusion of the 2019 World Cup but he was given an extension for 45 days up till the conclusion of the series against West Indies.
In between the BCCI invited applications for the head coach role besides the other support staff members as well.
The Cricket Advisory Committee picked Shastri as the leading candidate.
Six candidates were shortlisted and 5 of them, including Ravi Shastri, gave interviews at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai.
Shastri had attended the interview from West Indies where Team India is currently on a tour and is set to begin the ICC World Test Championship.
Earlier, the BCCI on its part has received an overwhelming response.
As many as around 2,000 people have applied for the role of Team India’s head coach.
Some of the big names are Mahela Jayawardene, Phil Simmons, Tom Moody, Mike Hesson, Robin Singh, and Lalchand Rajput.
“Number three was Tom Moody, number two was Mike Hesson. Number one is Ravi Shastri as all of you were expecting… It was a very close race,” CAC member Kapil Dev said.”
Ravi Shastri, in his presentation, revealed what he did in the last two years, what help he needs in making the team better and how he will improve in the subsequent period,” he added.
The CAC reappoints Mr Ravi Shastri as the Head Coach of the Indian Cricket Team. pic.twitter.com/vLqgkyj7I2
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 16, 2019
There is a lot of trusts invested in Shastri and there is a belief that he is the right man to continue with the job and help India dominate the show. The road is a long one for Shastri.
He has two big tournaments in the form of the ICC World T20 in 2020 and the ICC World Test Championship in 2019-2021 to deal with as well.
Here we analyze why Shastri seems to be the right candidate to help India achieve a lot in his new spell.
How have things shaped up under Shastri?
Under Shastri’s coaching, India exited from the 2019 World Cup semi-final after losing to New Zealand. He took over as the coach in controversial circumstances in 2017 after the ICC Champions Trophy.
Since then, he has done an able job with the side. Although, the experimentation with the middle order was something both his management and the selectors got it wrong.
Under Shastri, India won the historical Test and ODI series in Australia. Virat Kohli’s men also won the ODI and T20I series in South Africa.
India bagged the Asia Cup in UAE and Nidahas Trophy in Sri Lanka as well. These were some notable wins. Also, the Indian captain in many occasions praised Shastri.
Recently ahead of the tour of Windies, Kohli had stated that he would like him to continue. The India players also are in sync and like Shastri’s methods. So this is a win-win situation for one and all.
There is a healthy relationship with players
Also, Shastri has been with the side for a while now to understand what’s needed and what’s not. So his prime focus will be the World T20 next year and then the ICC Test Championship as well.
The question was always set to centred around why India would have gone for a new name? This method could have been applied if the BCCI wanted a new direction and freshness of ideas and implementations.
Perhaps something new could challenge the players.
But somehow everything looked in control under Shastri.
One gets the feeling that it’s a happy camp and this will help India going forward.
Shastri has helped India to achieve good results. So in terms of success rate, there has been proper work. That will please one and all.
The road ahead for Shastri
India have won 13 out of 21 Tests, 43 out of 60 ODIs and 25 T20Is out of 36, with Shastri in charge. But what the India fans want is to win a coveted ICC tournament. The pain of losing in the semis of 2015 and 2019 World Cup, doubled with the finale loss in the ICC Champions Trophy in 2017, have been India’s major issues in ICC events. They have to crack the code.
Also, Shastri and the management have been guilty of too many chopping and changes in the middle order. This hurt the side badly over the last few years. India never managed to settle down in this department. So going forward, India will be aiming to get this situation rectified and identify the players they want to have.
Players need to be backed and allowed to fail. If they don’t get the space, India will continue to suffer. Also, India will be wanting to approach better in pressure games. That’s mostly in the knockouts.
What vision does he have for Team India?
EXCLUSIVE: An honour & privilege to be retained as coach: @RaviShastriOfc
After being retained as Head Coach, Ravi Shastri listed out the challenges ahead & his future plans for #TeamIndia. Interview by @28anand
Watch the full video here 📹https://t.co/vmNzMtEY1W #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/hX3bhUZC5T
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 17, 2019
Shastri is counting to have a smooth transition for Team India in the upcoming two-year stint. He wants to have a happy space for the side and also leave a lasting legacy.
“Next two years is to see the smooth transition happening. You will get a lot of youngsters coming in, both the white-ball setup and Tests. You need to identify another three-four bowlers to add to the pool by the end of our tenure. My endeavor by the end of this tenure would be to leave the team in a happier space so that they can set a legacy in the time to come,” he said.
“The reason why I came in here is the belief I had in this team, the belief that they could leave a legacy which very few teams have left behind which other teams going down will try and emulate,” he added.
Only time will tell how things will shape up from here on.
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