Birmingham: There is likely to be an overhaul in the Indian team. Trouble is brewing for the coaching staff following India’s loss in the semi-final. The coaching team led by Ravi Shastri, which includes bowling coach Bharat Arun, batting coach Sanjay Bangar and fielding coach R. Sridhar, had all asked for an extension of their contracts till the next ICC Twenty20 World Cup in Australia. However, the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators had granted them an extension only until the next month’s tour of West Indies.
Had India won the World Cup, then the extension of their contracts would have been a mere formality. Bhangar is seen as being responsible for India’s middle-order not doing well and also not grooming anyone for the role of a stable middle order batsman.
However, the good work of Arun and Sridhar is being appreciated. Now Arun, Sridhar, Bangar and even Shastri, though they may not have to re-apply for their respective posts, will have to compete with fresh applicants.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) expects the Indian team to be stronger in all departments of the game in order to avoid missing winning top ICC tournaments after a promising start. Throughout the tournament, Shastri did not address the media even once, which came in a surprise as all other coaches had talked to the media. May be Shastri would have wanted the team to do the talking through their performances!
According to information, after the West Indies tour, BCCI may request Kapil Dev, Anshuman Gaekwad and Shantha Rangaswamy, who had selected the Indian women’s team coach, to pick the next coach. It is understood that Sourav Ganguly, who has a strong say in the BCCI board as an administrator, is a strong critic of Shastri. A lot would now depend on whether Kohli continues to back Shastri as coach and their partnership will continue.
It is still unclear if the Cricket Advisory Committee, that includes Sachin Tendulkar, V.V.S. Laxman and Ganguly, will be asked to select the coach again.
It was differences with Kohli that ended Anil Kumble’s term as coach, and since moves are on to make Kohli only the Test captain and Rohit Sharma the T20 and one-day team captain, the BCCI may not want someone who may disturb the team, but gets along with the captains like Shastri did.
Amid all these happenings, the Indian cricket team is stranded with no tickets available for them to fly back to India as they have unexpectedly lost in the semi-final. One does not know why the cash-rich Board of Control for Cricket in India did not make advance arrangements for tickets in case India lost. Or was the board so confident of the team sailing into the final? According to information the team is now stranded until after Sunday’s final.
