Picture Credit: BCCI
In big news concerning Indian cricket, the Virat Kohli-led men's team are all set to transition into a new era as a major rehaul of the coaching setup appears to be in the cards. If reports are to be believed, the team's current head coach Ravi Shastri is all set to vacate his position after his contract expires later this year post the T20 World Cup. The same report also claims that Shastri has even communicated the same to some of the top BCCI officials.
It should be noted that BCCI's upper age limit for the head coach job is 60. However, Shastri is already 59 and even if he gets an extension that will only be for one year. Both BCCI, as well as Shastri himself, are thus looking to explore other options. The indications from the Indian Cricket Board also suggest that they are now looking beyond Shastri. The claims have been made in a report carried out by the Indian express.
R Sridhar, Bharat Arun and Vikram Rathour also set to make an exit
Meanwhile, it is being reported that the BCCI will invite applications for a new head coach after the ICC event in UAE. The Board already has a cricket committee in place that will interview the shortlisted candidate and elect the new coaching staff. If the current National Cricket Academy head Rahul Dravid decides to apply for the position, he is the favourite to get the nod for the job.
Along with Shastri, the likes of fielding coach R Sridhar, bowling coach Bharat Arun and batting coach Vikram Rathour are also expected to move on from their roles in the Indian team. The three have been in charge of the team that is credited to have done well in all conditions. While Shastri was first appointed as team manager in 2014 and was in the role until the 2016 T20 World Cup, he returned after Anil Kumble’s brief stint as the coach. While the team has failed to win an ICC trophy in his reign, Team India have been quite a force to reckon with in this time frame, beating Australia in Australia twice in Tests, while also dominating limited-overs formats.