Shastri confirmed coach, Zaheer to train bowlers
new delhi — The BCCI on Tuesday named Ravi Shastri as the new chief coach of the Indian cricket team with former fast bowling great Zaheer Khan being appointed the bowling coach for a period of two years.
“On Cricket Advisory Committee’s recommendation, we have decided to appoint Ravi Shastri as the chief coach while Zaheer Khan will be appointed bowling coach for a period of two years,” BCCI acting president CK Khanna confirmed the development to PTI on Tuesday.
It will be third stint with the national team for 55-year-old Shastri, who was earlier a Cricket Manager during 2007 tour of Bangladesh and then Team Director from 2014 August to 2016 June during which India won Test overseas series versus Sri Lanka, reached the semifinals of 2015 World Cup and World T20 semifinals in 2016.
It was learnt that it was a fight between Shastri and Virender Sehwag but it was skipper Virat Kohli’s strong recommendation about Shastri’s earlier tenure that swung the deal in favour of BCCI’s ‘Man of All Seasons’.
Zaheer Khan, who last played international cricket in 2014, is considered to be one of the finest exponents of swing bowling India has ever produced.
Earlier, in the day, former India captain and member of the BCCI’s Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) Sourav Ganguly said media reports about Ravi Shastri being named India coach was a “confusion” and nothing has been finalised yet.
“It was a confusion. Nothing has been finalised,” Ganguly told reporters at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport at Kolkata.
Asked about his statement made on Monday in Mumbai that skipper Virat Kohli will be taken on board before the final decision is made and that the CAC — also comprising Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman — needed some time, Ganguly said: “Whatever I have said remains, nothing more.”
The CAC wanted to postpone the announcement of the new coach’s appointment as they wanted to consult Kohli on the issue, but the Committee of Administrators (CoA) later directed them to speed up the process and finalise the issue by Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, the entire media was abuzz with reports that Shastri had been appointed the India coach, which Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Acting Secretary Amitabh Chaudhary refused to confirm or deny, saying a final decision will be taken shortly.
“No final decision on coach as yet, as three CAC members are still deliberating and talking to each other,” Chaudhary told reporters in New Delhi.
“The CAC is still deliberating, formal announcement could be made later.”
A veteran of 80 Tests and 150 One-Day Internationals (ODI), the 55-year-old Shastri had earlier served as the Team Director for India’s tour of England in 2014 to the 2016 World T20, where India lost to eventual champions the West Indies.
Besides Shastri, the CAC on Monday interviewed four other candidates -- explosive India opener Virender Sehwag, Sri Lanka’s former Australian coach Tom Moody, Pakistan’s former coach Richard Pybus from England, and India’s former manager Lalchand Rajput. Former West Indies coach Phil Simmons wasn’t available for the interview process. —