Published: Jun 15, 2015, 04:59 PM (IST)
Edited: Jun 19, 2015, 02:38 PM (IST)
On June 1, 2015, Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Anurag Thakur announced that Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman — three members of India’s ‘Fab Four’ — will form the board’s advisory committee. Two weeks later incumbent team director and interim coach Ravi Shastri has issued a warning that if he has to become the coach of the Indian cricket team, the trio will not be interfering in his work. Whether they will have any direct say on the matters of Indian cricket team is something that is not yet clear, but Shastri need not worry about that. READ: Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman join BCCI advisory committee
It was inevitable. Months before the formation of the advisory committee, it was well known that Indian cricket post Duncan Fletcher and ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 would undergo a lot of modifications, more so after N Srinivasan’s exit from administration and MS Dhoni’s retirement from Test cricket. India are still in a transition period. However, the succession and definition of new roles did not seem to be as tough as one would have thought.
However, 15 days after the BCCI advisory committee was formed, Shastri, interim coach and team director, expressed that if he is to become the next coach of the national side, the trio — Tendulkar, Ganguly and Laxman — cannot interfere in his work. Shastri is tipped for India’s coaching job, and if he takes up the role, he will be among the highest paid cricket coaches in the world.
Before we go further into discussing on whether Shastri should be worried about the working of the committee, let us look at how things spanned out since its formation.
| Date | Update |
| June 1, 2015 | BCCI Advisory Committee is formed with Tendulkar, Ganguly, and Laxman |
| June 2, 2015 | Advisory committee meets in Kolkata. Ganguly says he is not sure about his role in the committee |
| Former BCCI interim-President and IPL 2014 commissioner Sunil Gavaskar says advisory committee to find next India coach | |
| Shastri appointed India’s interim coach | |
| Virat Kohli hails BCCI’s decision to retain Shastri as Indian cricket team director | |
| June 6, 2015 | Rahul Dravid appointed India A and Under-19 coach |
| BCCI Advisory Committee suggests more India A tours | |
| Shastri gets extended run as India’s team director | |
| Shastri to discuss his tenure with BCCI after India tour of Bangladesh 2015 | |
| June 11, 2015 | Shastri to be appointed as India coach; to become highest paid coach in the cricket world |
| June 12, 2015 | Dravid says Shastri has done a really good job with the team |
| June 14, 2015 | Ganguly says BCCI yet to decide on Shastri’s tenure as team director |
| BCCI set to retain team India’s assistant coaches | |
| June 15, 2015 | Newspaper reports suggest Shastri does not want Tendulkar, Ganguly, Laxman to interfere |
Let us start with a basic question: What does the BCCI Working Committee do?
The advisory committee is supposed to ‘advise’ BCCI on the improvement of cricket in India. The committee will report to BCCI President Jagmohan Dalmiya and Secretary Anurag Thakur. The committee will provide tips on how young cricket talent can be developed and how senior cricketers can balance international tours and personal life. READ: BCCI advisory panel comprising Tendulkar, Ganguly, Laxman to meet in Kolkata ahead of Bangladesh tour
The committee will hand their recommendations on the betterment of Indian cricket to Dalmiya and Thakur. Unlike the coach of Indian teams, the committee is expected to provide a detailed and different analysis on how the performances of cricketers can be improved. They are expected to use their experience in helping and guiding young cricketers and help current players in the Indian team.
How is this role any different from the role of India coach? The coach is mainly answerable to the selectors and shares his expertise with players and main board officials. In no way is the coach’s work involved with the cricket advisory committee. The coach works with the players in the national team, and also keeps an eye on the proceedings in the domestic cricket. READ: Ravi Shastri’s presence in Indian cricket team makes head coach’s job redundant
Moreover, the recommendations of the cricket advisory committee may not be the final call. The advisory committee’s reports will be heard and discussed by BCCI; they will then decide on whether to implement them or not. There is always a chance of BCCI rejecting recommendations of using only bits of the recommendations.
A day after the advisory committee was formed Gavaskar had mentioned that it will be the duty of the advisory committee to find the next coach. However, nowhere has BCCI mentioned anything about it. The committee can always recommend their candidate and choices, but it is ultimately the BCCI working committee which will take the final call.
Let us now look at the timeline and analyse whether Shastri really needs to worry about the committee’s functioning.
After the committee was formed, Shastri’s tenure as team director was extended and he was also appointed as the interim coach. It was Shastri who wanted to discuss about his future with the board, which he will after returning from the Bangladesh tour. READ: BCCI set to retain Team India’s assistant coaches
Shastri has also been said to be particularly worried about Ganguly’s interference in the coach’s activities. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that Ganguly is as aggressive as anyone else, and had also come out to state that BCCI is yet to decide on Shastri’s future.
Most importantly, Shastri has already found support from Test captain Virat Kohli and shares a good rapport with MS Dhoni. Dravid, who has been appointed as the coach of the India Under-19 and A team, has also praised Shastri. Moreover, Ganguly supported Kohli’s decision to play Rohit Sharma in place of Cheteshwar Pujara. This all suggests that there may actually be some accord in their functioning. READ: Rahul Dravid: Ravi Shastri has done a really good job with the team
Shastri will hardly have to interact with committee. Even if he has to, it will not be necessary that the team director has to follow orders.
Team India has already been working with Shastri for quite some time now. The results have been more than encouraging. Kohli and the young brigade under Shastri are far more aggressive than what they were earlier. With all going well, it will be unfortunate if Shastri decides to not take up the job of India coach, especially with ICC World T20 2016 less than twelve months away.
(Sudatta Mukherjee is a reporter with CricketCountry. Other than writing on cricket, she spends penning random thoughts on her blog. When she is not writing, you will catch her at a movie theatre or watching some English television show on her laptop. Her Twitter handle is @blackrosegal)
