Indian cricket team’s new coach is one announcement that every fan is desperately waiting for after the Anil Kumble-Virat Kohli controversy in which the ex-coach resigned from his post stating differences with the team’s captain.
While Sachin Tendulkar, Saurav Ganguly, and VVS Laxman has been given the power to choose the next Indian Cricket team’s coach, big names like Virender Sehwag, Australian Tom Moody, and Englishman Richard Pybus have applied for the post, here comes a statement from one of the all time greats, Sunil Gavaskar, which by all means completely fulfil the need of the hour.
According to Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri is probably the man who is going to be team India’s next coach as he has become the front-runner after formally applying for the post on Sachin Tendulkar’s request.
Sunil Gavaskar, in an interview with NDTV, said, “Ravi (Shastri) actually was the one where the turnaround actually started for the Indian cricket team back in 2014. After India lost in England, the BCCI asked him to come in as a team director… suddenly there was a change in the team’s fortunes over a period of time. Now that he’s applied, he’s probably the man who is going to get the job”.
While comparing Shastri’s profile with other applicants, Sunil Gavaskar said, “There’s Virender Sehwag and Tom Moody, who has done a wonderful job during his term with Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL. Yes, there are candidates who can be considered but Ravi Shastri has experience. Ravi has been part of the before and seems comfortable with the squad.“I would imagine the CAC would go back to a person the team feels comfortable with and give him the job.”
Sunil Gavaskar is on the same page as the fans because they have seen Ravi Shastri’s approach when he was appointed as the director from 2014 and 2016. He likes to be part of the squad and his friendly and keeping-everyone-on-the-right-track strategies have worked exceptionally well in the past as well.
With new blood being infused in the Indian team and the sword of uncertainty being hanging over senior players like MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh before the World Cup 2019, Ravi Shastri and is cool persona is what India needs and the squad’s performance during his tenure as the director perfectly sums up his potential as Indian cricket team’s new coach.
Statistics
Shastri’s appointment came after the humiliating series-loss against England and after that, the performance bar rose to new heights as India defeated England in an ODI series, won an away Test series against Sri Lanka for the first time in 22 years by 5-0 before losing an away test series against Australia by 2-0 in 2014-15.
After that, India qualified for the World Cup 205 Semi-Finals which was followed by an unexpected away ODI series defeat against Bangladesh by 2-1 and a 1-0 T20 as well as a 3-2 ODI defeat at home against South Africa in 2015.
While the Indian squad failed in limited overs format, it was followed by a 3-0 washout of Proteas in a Test series. In 2016, while India lost the 2016 Australian ODI series by 4-1, they again bounced back with a 3-0 T20 series on the same tour.
The T20 success in Australia gave India the momentum to win the Asia Cup 2016 after defeating Bangladesh in the finale.
In the same year, India registered a 2-1 T20I series victory over Sri Lanka at home as well as a semi-final appearance in World T20 2016.
The Sourav Ganguly Controversy
Ravi Shastri has had a fallout with Sourav Ganguly, a CAC member after Anil Kumble was appointed as the head coach despite the latter wanting to continue his association with the team. However, this controversy is a thing of the past as we have seen them both in the same frame on many occasions. Earlier, when Ravi Shastri was giving his interview for the head coach’s position, Sourav Ganguly was not present at the meeting, which triggered the fallout.
The Future
While it is still uncertain that why Ravi Shastri was removed from his position but the heart of the matter is, he shares a good rapport with Virat Kohli and knows the squad inside out. His relations with the CAC members, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman, apart from Sourav Ganguly might further give a boost to his resume.
If selected, Ravi Shastri would want to prepare for the upcoming World Cup 2019, the current form of the team as well as create a balance between senior players and the young guns for future tournaments.