Shastri reappointed India coach until 2021 World T20
Former Indian cricketer Ravi Shastri has been reappointed as head coach of the men’s senior team, a cricket board selection panel announced Friday.
Publicly backed by Indian captain Virat Kohli, 57-year-old Shastri was always the frontrunner as he got a two-year extension till the 2021 Twenty20 World Cup in India.
He saw off competition from former Indian all-rounder Robin Singh, former team manager Lalchand Rajput, former New Zealand coach Mike Hesson, Australia’s Tom Moody and Phil Simmons of West Indies.
Simmons had backed out of the interview at the last minute due to personal reasons.
The remaining candidates were interviewed by a three-member cricket advisory committee panel which included World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev, ex-national coach Anshuman Gaekwad and ex-women’s team captain Shantha Rangaswamy. Dev announced the decision at a Friday press conference.
“No. 3 was Tom New Zealand in Wellington to lift the Rugby Championship for the first time.
But the Pumas lost all three matches in the southern hemisphere competition reduced from a traditional six rounds to three because the World Cup kicks off in Japan on Sept. 20.
Those losses stretched to eight the number of consecutive defeats and they have won only eight of 40 matches since coming fourth behind New Zealand, Australia and South Africa at the last World Cup.
South Africa were in serious trouble two years back after a 57-0 mauling by the All Blacks at the in 2016, Shastri was selected as the team’s head coach a year later for a term extending to the end of the 2019 World Cup. He was given a 45-day extension for the current West Indies tour.
Shastri coached India to a historic first-ever test series win in Australia earlier this year following Test losses in South Africa and England.
But India’s semifinal exit in the 50-over World Cup following their loss to New Zealand last month brought speculation that Shastri’s tenure would be brought to an end.
Since Shastri took the job, India have won 13 Tests out of 21, 25 out same Wellington ground where the Springboks have won and drawn in subsequent seasons.
The Springboks and Pumas changed coaches since the last World Cup with differing results as Rassie Erasmus turned the tide while Mario Ledesma has been of 36 T20 matches and 43 out of 60 ODIs.
His next assignment will be the home series against South Africa, who will play three T20 internationals and three Tests starting next month.
Shastri was an all-rounder best known as part of the India’s World Cup-winning squad in 1983 and his man of the series performance in India’s World Championship triumph in Australia in 1985. He was also team director from 2014 to 2016.
Shastri played 80 Tests and 150 one-day internationals for India before becoming a successful TV commentator. unable to replicate the form of four years ago.
Cynics will label the Pretoria Test a B international as South Africa have changed the entire team that cruised to victory last Saturday while Argentina has kept only five of the humiliating side.
Erasmus says he knows “about 80 percent” of his 31 man squad, due to be named on Monday Aug. 26, and the match at Loftus Versfeld stadium is the last chance for marginal contenders to impress. That tag fits a number of Springboks, including full-back Warrick Gelant, center Andre Esterhuizen and winger Dillyn Leyds among the backs.