Lalchand Rajput appointed Zimbabwe's full-time head coach

Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) has retained its faith in the former India cricketer Lalchand Rajput as the coach of the cricket team. They have awarded him a full-time role after appointing him on an interim basis only a few months ago after Heath Streak and his support staff was sacked following the team’s inability to qualify for the World Cup next year. However, they would now be expecting for Rajput to turn their fortunes around after struggling over the last few months.

Zimbabwe has been going through a major slump once again as their first choice players denied to play as their payments weren’t received. They were thumped in the T20I tri-series at home and then Pakistan whitewashed them brutally in the five-match ODI series.

As far as Rajput’s coaching experience is concerned, he offers a lot. He was the head of the backroom staff of the Indian team during the ICC World T20 in 2007 after which he guided the current Afghanistan internationals who have now earned a Test status. He recently served as the head coach of Assam in Ranji Trophy and also mentored the Mumbai Indians during the IPL 2018.

ZC chairman acknowledges his experience

ZC Chairman Tavengwa Mukhlani acknowledged Lalchand Rajput’s experience at the helm and believed that he will play a crucial role in Zimbabwe qualifying for the next World T20 which will be played in 2020. “We are targeting qualification for the next T20 and 50-over World Cup tournaments and we believe Lalchand has the pedigree and experience to build a young side and help us achieve our goals,” he was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.

“Lalchand has a wealth of experience and an outstanding track record of success throughout his career. His hard-working and passionate approach and his sense of values on and off the pitch make him the ideal person to take us forward,” he further said. Meanwhile, Zimbabwe’s captain Hamilton Masakadza welcomed Rajput’s appointment and is also currently attending the training camp organised by him.

“I think it is a positive move from ZC. Appointing someone of his experience and stature bodes well for the future of our cricket as he is a really positive coach who brings a lot of positive energy and wants to see positive results for the team. The boys have responded really well to the rigorous training schedule and we are already starting to see a lot of improvement,” he said.

Rajput’s first assignment as the full-time coach of the team will be a limited-overs tour of South Africa starting on September 30 after they will travel Bangladesh to play three ODIs and a couple of Test matches.

[interaction id=”5b7fbdbccd0ad744d0272bd9″]

Keep following CricTracker for more news and updates.