5 coaches who can replace Ravi Shastri

Indian Cricket has for long faced a mental barrier when it comes to winning Tests on foreign soil but that aspect of their game changed to an extent when Sourav Ganguly took the helm of the captaincy. India's performance in overseas conditions rose to its peak in 2007-08 as India won a series in England and played an extremely competitive series against Australia who were in their own den.

The things, however, took a turn for the worse under Dhoni's captaincy in overseas Test Matches as India's lack of quality Fast bowlers proved to be Dhoni's Achilles heel in these matches and India had a horrible run.

Indian team under Virat Kohli was considered to be the best ever Indian Test team and they were touted to be the first Indian side which would win Test series in overseas conditions consistently mainly due to the brilliant pace attack that India possesses now. The results have been anything but that as some poor decision making has proved to be the team's Achilles heel this time.

The captain and coach have been criticised for the constant changes which they like to make, and this has lead to an extremely unsettled team. Ravi Shastri has been criticised by former Indian Cricketers too: Sehwag, Ganguly and Gavaskar.

This article aims to have a look at the options which BCCI have to replace Ravi Shastri if they indeed decide to replace him.

#5) Tom Moody

Tom Moody is one of the most experienced coaches on the list as he has the experience of coaching a number of Cricket teams. He has coached Rangpur Riders in BPL, Multan Sultans in PSL and has served as the Director of Worcestershire County in England.

Moody also has experience of the culture of Indian cricket as he is serving as the Head Coach of the Sunrisers Hyderabad and had led his team to the title in 2016 and to the finals in 2018.

Moody is also one of only two coaches on the list who has prior experience of coaching a subcontinental International team as he has coached Sri Lanka before and was instrumental in taking them to the finals of the 2007 World Cup.

#4) Virender Sehwag

Virender Sehwag was one of those in the running for the job of India's coach, before Ravi Shastri was selected ahead of him. Sehwag too looks extremely interested in the job which is great news for Indian fans.

Sehwag has previous experience of coaching as he had coached IPL side Kings XI Punjab since 2015. Initially, he had a rough run as a coach as he was forced to coach a substandard Punjab team, but this year he proved his worth as a coach when he combined brilliantly with Ashwin to take some unconventional but brilliant decisions which helped his team perform better.

The other advantage with Sehwag is that he is also a person who hails from Delhi and shares a brilliant rapport with Kohli, which would help the team to rebuild quickly if they were to change the coach just before the World Cup.

#3) Stephen Fleming

Stephen Fleming is yet another experienced candidate for the job of Indian coach on this list. His experience with Indian cricket is pretty comprehensive as he has been the coach of an IPL team right from the 2nd season.

Virat Kohli is known to be a captain who is extremely restless and he has shown the knack of changing players and strategies way too often. With that kind of background, having a coach who is known for his calm demeanour will be extremely helpful for the Indian side.

Fleming is one of the brightest minds in the coaching business in the world at present and he can be an ideal backup to an aggressive Virat Kohli. His rapport with Dhoni and his ability to gel extremely well with the Indian players is similar to Gary Kirsten and if BCCI decides to pick a foreign coach then he would be the best choice for that role.

#2) Anil Kumble

Anil Kumble is one of the biggest names in Indian cricket and arguably the best spinner that India has ever produced. Kumble has already coached the Indian team but the way he was treated left a lot to be desired.

Kumble's previous coaching experience with the Indian team wasn't ideal as there were rumours regarding captain Kohli not being happy with him. Kumble's performance as a coach though was phenomenal as India remained undefeated in a bilateral series throughout his time as the Indian coach.

Kohli's performance as the captain to hasn't been great as he has changed the team far too often and has been criticised for unsettling the team with his constant changes. BCCI might opt for Anil Kumble as the coach with a change in captaincy if India doesn't perform to expectation in the Australian series.

#1) Rahul Dravid

Rahul Dravid is a name which will be etched in the hearts of Indian cricket fans forever. He is probably the best number 3 Test batsman that India has ever produced. He was phenomenal for Indian Cricket during his playing years and he has continued to help Indian cricket post-retirement as well.

Dravid is presently the coach of the Indian Under-19 team and is responsible for producing the cricketers of tomorrow. He has also been involved in coaching in IPL, where he had coached teams like Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Daredevils.

Rahul Dravid has proved to be an extremely effective coach and has shaped a number of careers in his present role. His batting technique is another huge asset which will be of immense help to the present Indian team.

The Indian batsmen are struggling to survive on the crease in the swinging conditions of England and South Africa, and Dravid's advice on this matter can help India finally win matches in overseas conditions which is the basis on which Kohli and the present Indian team will be judged.