Ravi Shastri sets his eyes on being the Indian head coach for the second time

Ravi Shastri is all set to try out his luck on grabbing the opportunity to coach the Indian cricket team for the second time. The former Indian international is currently being considered as the clear favourite if he hands in his application. Almost a week after Anil Kumble decided to step down as head coach, BCCI re-invited applications for the vacant position yesterday.

Ravi Shastri had suffered a similar fate like Anil Kumble in his first stint as the head coach where he too was removed from the position after a having a glorious term. Shastri was recorded talking to the New Indian Express from London where he said “Yes, I have decided to apply for the job.”

Shastri dismissed rumours that he would only apply for the job if the board guarantees his selection by terming them as “bullcrap”. This is the first time the tall all-rounder has made his statement public willingly.

It is believed that Virat Kohli’s relationship with Ravi Shastri was a smooth one and the two gelled together well. According to reports, skipper Kohli was not satisfied with the decision of bringing Kumble as a replacement for Shastri. The 55-year-old was released from his duties after a one-year term by the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) comprised of legends in the form of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman.

Virat Kohli greeted Kumble on Twitter after the latter’s appointment and was happy with the proceedings initially. Problems between the two came into recognition during the ICC Champions Trophy and Virat Kohli expressed his disappointment over Kumble’s style of management. Virat also made it clear to the CAC that he does not want to work with the legendary leg spinner in the future and demanded a new face in the position. Kumble decided to quit the job with dignity after the Indian team flew for the West Indies and mentioned in his post-resignation statement that he did not have any problem with Virat Kohli.

The other options:

The BCCI had invited applications for the role before the start of the Champions Trophy and a number of people gave in their applications. While Virender Sehwag stood as the frontrunner, Tom Moody, Lalchand Rajput and Richard Pybus were also in contention. But with BCCI’s decision of taking in the second round of CVs, the Committee of Administrators do not seem contended.

It will be exciting to see the new set of applications and who get the opportunity to lead the promising Indian side. We are not sure of the fact that whether the CAC will give their vote to Shastri, someone they denied an extension in his first spell, but Shastri remains a top choice along with Virender Sehwag.