Sachin Tendulkar disgusted at reports saying Dravid and Khan were forced on Ravi Shastri

The 3-member Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), comprising of Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly was given the responsibility by the BCCI to appoint a new head coach for the Indian cricket team after the resignation of Anil Kumble. On the 10th day of this month, they interviewed the applicants and Ravi Shastri was appointed the head coach of the team the very next day.

Alongside Shastri, the CAC appointed two others to assist him. Zaheer Khan was appointed as the bowling consultant while ‘The Wall’- Rahul Dravid was appointed as the batting consultant for overseas Tests. But if the latest reports are to be believed, Shastri wanted Bharat Arun as the bowling consultant. Hence, it is assumed that the CAC appointed the bowling coach without his consent.

But Sachin has rubbished all such claims and has issued a strong letter to Committee of Administrators (CoA)’s chief Vinod Rai and BCCI’s acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary. “There have been suggestions that the CAC has exceeded its ambit in going with Mr Khan and Mr Dravid, and these two legends of Indian cricket have been foisted on the head coach. It has both pained and disappointed us therefore to see the light in which the CAC has been portrayed in various sections of the media,” he wrote.

Tendulkar wants CoA and BCCI to “clear the air”

Ganguly and Laxman have also written strong letters to Choudhary and Rai. Sachin wants BCCI and CoA to rubbish all the false accusations and wants to uphold the sanctity of the CAC. “While we all know that none of these reports are true, it is out in public domain and it is imperative that the cricket-loving public at large is made aware of the reality. We could do it ourselves, of course, but we don’t want to further queer the pitch,” Tendulkar added.

“So, we would respectfully request you to clear the air and set the record straight in this regard. The three of us played our cricket with great integrity, and we have brought that same trait in fulfilling this important responsibility bestowed upon us by the BCCI. While we are not looking for plaudits, we do not appreciate the tone and the falsehoods of some of the narratives,” wrote the disappointed little master.

Another CAC member has mentioned that the panel worked very hard in the coach selection process. “You (Rai/Choudhary) will be aware that we put our heart and soul into the process, approaching a task made delicate by the recent developments with a clear head and with the sole aim of providing the Indian team with the best resources possible to become the world-beaters they are capable of being.”

We also bring to your notice the mail you had circulated to us saying that we had an absolutely free hand in picking the coach of the Indian cricket team. Also, we did inform you over the phone along with Rahul Johri and Amitabh Choudhary of all that transpired immediately after the meeting was over,” stated the letter sent by another CAC member.

BCCI’s reply

After reading out some stern words, the board has stated that Zaheer, who was earlier appointed as bowling consultant, will now work on an overseas tour-to-tour basis as per the requirement. They have also cleared the CAC of all allegations. “The three members of the committee – Mr Sourav Ganguly, Mr Sachin Tendulkar and Mr VVS Laxman – have executed the assigned task with total transparency, professionalism and commitment to Indian cricket,” stated their official release.