India coach Ravi Shastri should be allowed to pick own support staff, says Robin Singh

The appointment of Ravi Shastri as the coach of the Indian cricket team has dominated headlines recently, and more so when he reportedly expressed his desire to pick his own support staff. On 11 July, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided to appoint Zaheer Khan as the bowling consultant, while Rahul Dravid was appointed as the batting consultant for the overseas tour. [caption id=“attachment_2821382” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Ravi Shastri. AFP[/caption] However, former Indian all-rounder Robin Singh came out in favour of Shastri’s decision, in a report on The Times of India.  Robin said that coaches should be given the freedom to choose their colleagues, adding that he would want to work with people whom he is comfortable with had he been appointed in the role. “Let me put it like this.. I like to work with people who I know. I don’t like to work with people who I don’t know. It’s really a comfort level that you need to have. You have to work with people with whom you have an understanding and who you think can execute. “You can ask anyone around – whether it’s cricket or a company. The CEO or the management want their own people. I don’t think there is a controversy. Everyone makes it a controversy. At the end of the day, if I’m coach, I would want people who I’m comfortable with. It’s as simple as that,” said Robin, who was the fielding coach of the Indian team from 2007 to 2009. The 53-year-old also added that he was in no position to answer whether the BCCI was right in handling the matter of coach selection properly. Virat Kohli and Co will tour Sri Lanka later this month, and will play three Tests, five ODIs and a one-off T20I. The tour will be the first assignment in the job for Shastri.