The Indian cricket board has appointed Ravi Shastri as the head coach of the Indian cricket team until the ICC World T20 Cup in 2021. The announcement was made by the Cricket Advisory Committee led by former India captain Kapil Dev on Friday evening.
The other two members of the CAC included former India cricketer Anshuman Gaekwad and Shanta Rangaswamy. Shastri, who was part of the national team that took part in this year’s World Cup, was the CAC’s top preference. Former New Zealand coach Mike Hesson and ex-Australian all-rounder Tom Moody were the second and third preferences for the job respectively.
Kapil Dev told reporters that the Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli’s opinion was not sought before agreeing on the name of Shastri. But Kohli had already expressed his opinion stating that he and the team would like to see Ravi Shastri continue as the head coach.
Shastri’s role as the coach had come under huge scrutiny after India failed to progress beyond the semi-final stage in the World Cup. India were knocked out of the competition by New Zealand in the semi-final.