'No surprise at all', Twitterati react to Ravi Shastri's reappointment as Team India head coach till 2021 ICC World T20

Mumbai: Incumbent coach of the Indian cricket team Ravi Shastri was on Friday re-appointed in the role by the Kapil Dev-led Cricket Advisory Committee, a decision that was expected and has the backing of captain Virat Kohli. Shastri has been reappointed for a two-year period, ending with the 2021 T20 World Cup in India. This will be Shastri’s fourth stint with the national team, having served briefly as the Cricket Manager (2007 tour of Bangladesh), Team Director (2014-2016) and head coach (2017-2019). Shastri pipped former India teammates Robin Singh and Lalchand Rajput along with former New Zealand coach Mike Hesson and Australian Tom Moody to the post. Former West Indies and Afghanistan coach Phil Simmons pulled out of the race, citing personal reasons.

India's next cricket coach from
- Ravi Shastri (age 57; 80 Tests, 150 ODIs)
- Tom Moody (53; 8 Tests, 76 ODIs)
- Mike Hesson (44; no Tests/ODIs, no Fc/ListA games)
- Phil Simmons (56; 26 Tests, 143 ODIs)
- Lalchand Rajput (57; 2 Tests, 4 ODIs)
- Robin Singh (55; 1 Test, 136 ODIs)

— Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman) August 13, 2019

“Number three was Tom Moody, number two was Mike Hesson. Number one is Ravi Shastri as all of you were expecting… but it was a very close race,” said Kapil at the press conference to announce the decision here. Once Kohli had openly backed Shastri’s candidature at the pre-departure media conference before the West Indies tour, it was expected that the former India captain would be a favourite to retain the position.

In a world that is so unpredictable, there was but one certainty. No surprise that Ravi Shastri continues as coach of the Indian team.

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) August 16, 2019

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Among all the candidates, Shastri’s record was unmatched as the team reached the number one ranking in Test cricket under his guidance and won a series in Australia for the first time in 71 years.

It was close says Kapil. Anshuman says Ravi knows the system well the boys well the problems well and did a real good presentation of his vision. He is the Head Coach as a result. #RaviShastri

— Boria Majumdar (@BoriaMajumdar) August 16, 2019

On the flip-side, India twice lost in the World Cup semi-finals (2015 and 2019) with him at the helm but that doesn’t seem to have a bearing on the decision taken by the Dev-led committee that also comprised Shantha Rangaswamy and Anshuman Gaekwad.

#TeamIndiaCoach #RaviShastri

Meanwhile Tom Moody after being rejected every year:- pic.twitter.com/qmKi6QlHUQ

— A (@leosamit) August 16, 2019

Since he came back in July 2017 replacing Anil Kumble, whose differences with Kohli came out in the open, Shastri’s coaching record has been phenomenal. India have won 13 out of 21 Tests, 43 out of 60 ODIs and 25 T20 Internationals out of 36 on his watch.

After all...Anshuman Gaekwad was right. Ravi Shastri to continue as India’s Head Coach. And it’s a two year extension. Till the end of World T20 in 2021.

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) August 16, 2019

So #RaviShastri it is. No surprise at all. Wonder why they made all the others waste their time and energies. #BCCI #Coach

— Sumanth Raman (@sumanthraman) August 16, 2019

Once the applicants were marked on these parameters, Ravi Shastri won (and it was close, as per Kapil Dev) pic.twitter.com/xfOBu9nFkZ

— Gaurav Kalra (@gauravkalra75) August 16, 2019