Ravi Shastri appointed India coach; Zaheer Khan, Rahul Dravid named in coaching staff

After confusion over the announcement of the India head coach earlier on Tuesday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) finally revealed Ravi Shastri as the person set to take the role over from Anil Kumble for a period of two years. According to an official release by the BCCI, former India pacer Zaheer Khan has been named the bowling coach of the Indian team, in addition to Shastri’s appointment by the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) — comprising of Indian legends Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman. [caption id=“attachment_3802261” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Ravi Shastri had earlier served as Team Director between 2014 and 2016. Reuters[/caption] The release also confirmed India A and U-19 coach Rahul Dravid getting the role of the batting consultant, though his involvement will be limited only to overseas Test tours. It is important to note that all three have been appointed till the end of the 2019 World Cup. “On Cricket Advisory Committee’s recommendation, we have decided to appoint Ravi Shastri as the chief coach while Zaheer Khan will be appointed bowling coach for a period of two years,” BCCI acting president CK Khanna confirmed the development to PTI. Zaheer’s appointment comes two years after he retired from international cricket. He captained Delhi Daredevils (DD) in the last two editions of the Indian Premier League, while also coaching the side, and had recently undertaken commentary duties during India’s tour of the West Indies. Bharat Arun had served as the bowling coach under Duncan Fletcher, with Kumble doubling up in the role during his tenure. Dravid has experienced a fair amount of success in the role, having coached the Indian colts to the final of the U-19 World Cup in 2016. He had earlier served as the batting consultant for the Indian team in the 2014 tour of England. Cricketer-turned-commentator Shastri’s first experience in a role of this nature came in the tour of Bangladesh right after the disastrous first-round exit in the 2007 World Cup. He served as the Team Director between 2014 and 2016, guiding Virat Kohli and Co to the semi-final of the World T20 in his last assignment before the expiry of his contract. He was the front-runner for the position when BCCI invited applications for the head coach last year, but things changed drastically against him when Kumble threw his hat into the ring. With inputs from PTI