Ravi Shastri gains foothold in BCCI ahead of India's coach selection

While the Anil Kumble fiasco has forced a villainous shade on the BCCI and Virat Kohli, Ravi Shastri seems to be exploiting the situation to his advantage. Kumble’s ousting led to a massive confusion within the BCCI as to whom to appoint to the post of head coach of the Indian Cricket Team. Ravi Shastri has promptly thrown his hat into the ring and is quickly gaining ground amidst BCCI’s big shots.

Ravi Shastri has been hobnobbing with the who’s who of the board for several years now. The former all-rounder had a reasonably successful stint as director of the Indian Cricket Team when once again the Men in Blue were sans coach. More importantly, he has gained the trust of the current players in the national squad, Virat Kohli being one of his strongest advocates.

The BCCI has a serious task at hand of selecting a coach for the Indian Cricket Team from a list of well-accomplished candidates. The Australian Tom Moody is arguably the most proficient of the lot. His success with the Sunrisers Hyderabad has already gained considerable support from the Cricket Advisory Committee.

Virender Sehwag’s usual nonchalant approach to batting out in the middle might not get him the job of head coach. But he is realistically Moody’s only contender. With Shastri now in the equation, the scales will certainly tip in favor of the former team director.

Advantage Ravi Shastri?

Furthermore, Ravi Shastri has the edge over the other contenders because the next coach will not be selected entirely based on his credentials, but also the kind of support he is able to gain from the ones who matter.

His entry into the contest has immediately led to officials making comparisons between Kumble and Shastri. The statistics of the two men in charge are in some ways similar – while India rose from rank 7 to rank 2 in Tests under Ravi Shastri, the team was able to consolidate their No.1 ranking while Anil Kumble was in charge.

As far as captain Virat Kohli is concerned, he seems to be open about the next coach, no matter who it is. “Kohli doesn’t mind a foreigner. As long as the new coach can man manage stuff inside the dressing room, Kohli is open to working with him,” a top BCCI official was quoted as saying by TOI. But it cannot go unsaid that Kohli and Shastri share a very good rapport, which might play into the hands of the latter.

All said and done, it will be the CAC which will have the last word. Sachin Tendulkar is almost certain to give Ravi Shastri the nod. Meanwhile, VVS Laxman might back Moody given the fact that they work for the same IPL franchise and know each other very well. The decisive man in the trio will, however, be Sourav Ganguly. One thing is clear – Ravi Shastri’s arrival has thrown open the race.