With the captain’s blessing

Virat Kohli’s wish has been granted with the appointment of Ravi Shastri as coach. But matching the exploits of his predecessor, Anil Kumble, won’t be easy

Around the same time last year, Ravi Shastri was censured by Sourav Ganguly for failing to appear in person for the interview that was to determine the new head coach of the Indian cricket team. Expressing doubts over his seriousness, Ganguly, along with Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman, decided to give the job to Anil Kumble instead. A year later, Shastri did much the same. Virender Sehwag was the only candidate who took the hassle of dragging himself to the interview room; Shastri’s rotund frame only emerged before the selection panel in what was most likely a computer screen, or a giant television set. Just that this time, Shastri landed the estimable — and thorny — post.

Shastri’s appointment underscores a ubiquitous trend: Virat Kohli, who captains the team in all three formats, now enjoys omnipotent authority in Indian cricket. If Kohli wants something tweaked or someone ousted, he is likely to get his wish. That’s why the installation of Shastri, whose bromance with Kohli palpably flourished during his tenure as team director a few years ago, always had a ring of inevitability to it. In some ways, the entire selection process bordered on the farcical — once Kohli had intervened, Shastri was always destined to get the job.

Shastri, after all, is Indian cricket’s Mr Teflon. In the despicable merry-go-round of Indian cricket, the 55-year-old is an imposing constant who can perform any role with unflustered proficiency: commentator, administrator, and now once again, coach.

Conceding that Shastri is different from his predecessor, Kumble, would be a gross understatement. He is, in fact, quite the effervescent antithesis: unflinching, defiant and in your face. Kumble, despite leading the team to a string of impeccable results during his time in charge, was mostly aloof and unemotional. Kumble was like that studious football manager content with taking down notes and stoically gazing at proceedings; expect Shastri to bark out instructions and tear the touchline down.

The fact that little cricketing logic was at work in Kumble’s departure, and the exit door for the legendary leg-spinner was truly unlatched only because of an embittered Kohli, makes Shastri’s appointment complex. First, he must repair

broken relationships and

ILLUSTRATION: AJAY MOHANTY There are obvious reasons why Kohli adores Shastri. He espouses the same bombastic, all-ornothing approach that the Indian skipper swears by. Such belligerence, however, has cost the Indian team in the past