 "Ravi Shastri named India coach: COA disappointed at CAC's decision to hire Rahul Dravid, Zaheer Khan")
A day after
hailing the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) for displaying ‘dedication and commitment’ while hiring Ravi Shastri as the India coach, the Committee of Administrators (COA) has expressed disappointment about CAC’s decision of appointing Rahul Dravid and Zaheer Khan in the coaching staff. According to a report by Mumbai Mirror, the Supreme Court-appointed committee is believed to have said that CAC, comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman, exceeded their brief by naming Zaheer as bowling consultant and Dravid, also the India A and U-19 coach, as as the batting consultant for overseas tours. [caption id=“attachment_3765483” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of CoA chairman Vinod Rai. AFP[/caption]
COA, consisting of chairman Vinod Rai, Vikram Limaye and Diana Eduljee, opines that it is the job of a head coach — Shastri’s in this case — and not that of the CAC to hire the support staff.
As a result of this development, it is learnt that the COA will review the CAC’s decision when they meet in Mumbai on Saturday, the report added. What makes this matter more intriguing is Shastri’s open support for Bharat Arun, who has served as India’s bowling coach from 2014 to 2016. “Ravi (Shastri) has highest regards for Zaheer but he believes that a full-time bowling coach is required. Let Zak create a roadmap for bowlers and it will be Arun who will implement it. Ravi is expected to speak to COA on Saturday and make it clear that he would like Arun to join the team from Sri Lanka tour itself,” a senior BCCI official was quoted as saying to PTI on Thursday. India coach Shastri, during his interview with the CAC on Monday, also reportedly asked for Arun’s re-appointment as bowling coach. When he was refused, he demanded Jason Gillispie, a highly-rated bowling coach. But his recent appointment as Papua New Guinea’s interim coach could prove to be a hindrance. All these signs point towards Arun’s reinstatement. Since the BCCI decided to invite more applications for the vacant head coach, they received a lot of flak for this newly-formed process. The ’new selection process’ rather saw an anticlimactic end. Early in the evening on Tuesday, reports made rounds that Shastri has been named as Anil Kumble’s successor. After a lot of confusion, BCCI acting secretary Amitabh Chaudhary cleared the air and denied Shastri’s appointment. But within hours the Indian cricket board sent out a press release confirming the news. Many experts lashed out at this drama and among them was Sandeep Patil. Talking to Mid Day, Patil, the former India coach questioned the selection process and the credentials of the CAC trio — none of them have an extensive coaching background — to elect the coach of the Indian cricket team. “I wouldn’t even call it (process) warped. I’d say it’s all wrong. Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman are absolute legends as players and have done great things for the country, but none of them have coached a team. Do coaches pick umpires and vice versa?” remarked Patil.
