Reports: Ravi Shastri and Virat Kohli differ on selection of Team India’s strength and conditioning staff

The selection of Team India’s coaching staff is yet to be completed. Back in August, Ravi Shastri managed to retain his position as the head coach of the national team. The veteran edged out the likes of Mike Hesson and Tom Moody, who finished as second and third respectively in the list of preferred candidates. However, Shastri’s complete support staff is yet to be picked.

The personnel for the Strength and Conditioning are yet to be appointed. There are three foreign candidates- Luke Woodhouse, Grant Luden and Nick Webb- out of five. The two Indians in the list are Rajnikanth Sivagnanan and Anand Date. The performance of the foreigners is understood to have impressed the selection committee and the BCCI is happy with the choice available.

Virat Kohli wants the best with no preference to nationality

In the meantime, it has been learned that Shastri and Virat Kohli, the Indian skipper, have differences on the selection of the staff. As per a report in Mumbai Mirror, Shastri prefers Indians in the support staff. On the other hand, the 30-year-old Kohli wanted the best possible candidate with no preference for any nationality. It remains to be seen who finally manages to make the cut.

It was known that the five candidates will be called upon to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) to assess their practical skills under experts before getting recruited. The second and third choices would be considered for positions with the India ‘A’ team and with the NCA. Rahul Johri, the BCCI CEO, said that the new support staff had to be available on Sunday, September 15.

Earlier, the selection committee, led by chairman MSK Prasad, asked to pick the support staff, interviewed candidates for the trainer’s post. The panel also decided on some other picks in the interviews. Bharat Arun and R Sridhar were retained as the bowling and fielding coach respectively. Vikram Rathour, the former Indian cricketer, replaced Sanjay Bangar as the batting coach.

The Indian team is currently in the West Indies where they are taking part in the two-match Test series. After returning to India, the team is scheduled to play a three-match T20I series versus South Africa, starting September 15. The squad for the series has already been announced.

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