Chetan Sharma impressed with Shastri’s appointment as the head coach

Recently, the BCCI’s Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) appointed Ravi Shastri as the head coach of Team India. The new coach had to be selected as former Test captain Anil Kumble resigned from the post after a verbal spat with the skipper Virat Kohli. Shastri is familiar with the team as he has previously been with the team as the team director.

Former Indian team pacer Chetan Sharma was very impressed with Ravi’s appointment for the prestigious and important post. The head coach as announced by the BCCI was appointed for long term basis and till the 2019 World Cup. Sharma who represented India in 23 Test matches and 65 ODIs has backed Shastri for a long time.

“I have been saying this for a long time that Ravi Shastri should be made coach. Our captain was comfortable with Ravi and the team members also. We have to see that here we do not need a coach at this level. We need a person who can man manage well and the person who has handled it well and the team was happy with him is suitable for the team. If there was some other coach, then again, there would have been a problem like it happened in Anil Kumble’s case. With the World Cup in 2019, whatever the team wants is okay,” said Sharma.

Captain’s choice should be kept in mind

“Sometimes one has to follow the procedure. There are some things which should not come out of the dressing room. The COA followed the procedure and they knew the team’s choice. Reconfirming the option is not bad and if the captain needs Ravi Shastri, there is no harm in it. It is not easy to manage for captain and coach. Whatever happened, it might have solved in a different way. Nobody can surpass Anil Kumble in terms of his achievement as cricketer,” added Sharma as reported by The Indian Express.

On Zaheer and Dravid

The CAC also appointed former fast bowler Zaheer Khan and right-handed batsman Rahul Dravid as the bowling coach and batting consultant respectively. “Rahul Dravid and Zaheer Khan is a brilliant combination for the India team. Being a left-arm bowler, Zaheer can mentor the Indian pacers. And, nobody knows how to bat in away conditions better than Rahul Dravid,” Sharma further added.

On the 12th of July, the CoA recommended the name of former all-rounder Kapil Dev as part of the four member steering committee, which would help in forming the players’ association. “Players like Kapil Dev are legends of the game. And, we have to take whatever support we can take from players like him,” the 51-year-old concluded.