Ravi Shastri to continue as Team India director till 2016 T20 World Cup
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has confirmed that Ravi Shastri will continue as Team India director. Along with Shastri, the services of the three assistant coaches, including Sanjay Bangar have been retained until at least the 2016 T20 World Cup.
The BCCI has chosen to reward the quartet of Shastri, Bangar (batting coach), B Arun (bowling coach) & R Sridhar (fielding coach) for their recent success after they oversaw India’s first overseas series victory for the first time since 2011. The board came to the decision following recommendations from the cricket advisory committee which consists of former cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly & VVS Laxman as well as board president Jagmohan Dalmiya and secretary Anurag Thakur.
“Based on the recommendations of the Cricket Advisory Committee, The BCCI has extended the appointment of Mr Ravi Shastri as the Team director of the Indian Cricket Team till the ICC World T20 2016. Acknowledging the performance of the Indian Cricket team and the efforts of the coaching staff in recent times, the CAC endorsed the extension of their tenure,” BCCI’s press release stated. “BCCI President Mr Jagmohan Dalmiya and Honorary Secretary Mr Anurag Thakur appreciated the work done by the coaching staff and accepted the decision unanimously.”
The quartet started their stint with the Indian team after the side’s disastrous performance against England in the five-Test series last year. Shastri & Co were assigned to assist then head coach, Duncan Fletcher. The Zimbabwean’s contract ran out at the 2015 World Cup, but BCCI have not yet appointed a full-time coach. Today’s developments, however, suggest that the board are more than happy with the present setup.
Anurag Thakur had claimed last month that a final call on the appointment of a coach will be made by the end of September.
"We have left it to the CAC to decide how many people will be required, how many coaches will be required, whether a bowling coach, a batting coach, a full-time coach or a director. Let them take a call, come back to the BCCI in September and before the South Africa series, I can assure you that we will take a call on that," Thakur said as reported by NDTV.
“I think it is very important to have a full-time coach for any team. We have taken some time to decide and most probably in the month of September, we will finalise the coach."
Till a final call is made on that, the quartet has been trusted with guiding India forward.