Published: Jun 21, 2016, 06:45 PM (IST)
Edited: Jun 22, 2016, 01:39 AM (IST)
The race for the head coach of Team India is slowly heating up with names of Ravi Shastri and Anil Kumble doing the rounds. The Board of Cricket Control in India is said to make the announcement in the next few days, but under who’s guidance will the Indian team benefit? India have not had a coach since the post was left vacant by Duncan Fletcher after the ICC World Cup 2015. It was Shastri, in the capacity of being the Team Director, who managed the day-to-day affairs of the Indian team. We have not seen much of Kumble in the coaching role. He was the mentor of Mumbai Indians (MI) for a few seasons, barring which he does not have the experience of being in the backroom staff of a competitive team. READ: BCCI might announce India’s new coach by June 25
There are other candidates like Pravin Amre, Venkatesh Prasad and Sanjay Bangar, who are in the fray. Amre is still rated very highly by many Indian cricketers. He is considered as the go to guy when any player does not find form. Robin Uthappa spoke about how Amre played a huge part in reviving his career, after which he started scoring heavily in the Ranji Trophy for Karnataka and also got picked in the Indian team. Amre is also responsible for many players coming through the Mumbai ranks. Ajinkya Rahane is one of them and Shreyas Iyer is one such recent example. Amre was also in charge of the Indian Under-19 team that lifted the ICC Under-19 World Cup in 2012. Amre has all the credentials of becoming the head coach but could also end up being India’s batting coach, if the need arises. READ: Kumble applies for India Head Coach position
Ventatesh Prasad was the bowling coach when India lifted the inaugural World T20 in South Africa. Prasad recently turned down the offer to be the bowling coach of Bangladesh, saying that he wants to serve Indian cricket more. Even if he does not become the Head Coach, he could be one of the prime contenders to take over as bowling coach.
The likes of Sanjay Bangar and Lalchand Rajput too can be considered for the roles, given their experience. But it will eventually come down to who the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) pick. They will interview the possible candidates and pick one of them to be the head coach. READ: BCCI announce Shastri among 57 candidates to apply for India coach post
Whoever is appointed will be in charge at least till the 2019 World Cup. India have a grueling cricketing season coming up, where they go to the West Indies and have the likes of England, Australia, New Zealand and Bangladesh touring India. They will also have to build a team for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2017 and then the World Cup. The new coach and his staff will be thoroughly tested during this period, without a doubt!
(Pramod Ananth is a reporter at CricketCountry. He has represented Karnataka table tennis under-15, and is a hardcore supporter of Liverpool FC. His Twitter handle is @pramz)
