5 possible candidates for Indian cricket team's bowling coach
A day after it was learnt that Zaheer Khan was named as the bowling coach of India, a BCCI statement clarified that the former India international has been appointed as the bowling ‘consultant’, and will be with the team only on requirement basis.
As per Times of India, the newly appointed head coach Ravi Shastri was wary of the fact that Zaheer has no prior coaching credentials, which is why his selection on a full-time basis may have been questioned. Shastri instead prefers former Test cricketer Bharat Arun for the full-time post.
The Indian team need a bowling coach to help the bowlers flourish in overseas conditions. Since the post is still vacant, here, we take a look at five possible candidates suited for the position.
#5 Laxmipathy Balaji
Not only does the Tamil Nadu pacer bring along with him a wealth of experience as a former India international, he also has coaching credentials under his belt. One of the most experienced pacemen in the Tamil Nadu ranks, the 35-years-old was named as the bowling coach of the Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2017 edition, a franchise he had already represented between 2011 and 2013.
Besides the stint with KKR, Balaji was also the player-cum-coach of the Tamil Nadu Ranji Team in 2015-16 where he nurtured talents like Aswin Crist and Sunil Sam. Balaji, who emerged as one of the country’s best pacers in the historic tour of Pakistan in 2003-04, can groom players like Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami.