CAC members explain why Ravi Shastri was chosen as India's head coach

What's the story?

As per the decision of the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), Ravi Shastri will stay on as India’s head coach until 2021. The CAC members revealed in an interaction with the media that the race between Shastri, New Zealand’s Mike Hesson and Australia’s Tom Moody was very close, while also giving the rationale behind choosing the Indian.

The Background

The selection process for the coach was very transparent as it included a five-parameter rating system. Kapil Dev, Anshuman Gaekwad and Shantha Rangaswamy, the three members of the CAC, were responsible for grading the candidates on the parameters.

The five parameters were: Coaching Philosophy, Experience of Coaching, Achievements in Coaching, Communication, and Knowledge of Modern Coaching Tools.

The CAC rated the coaches out of 100 marks, with Very Good, Good, Average and Poor being the four categories. The maximum and minimum ratings per parameter were 20 and 5, respectively.

The discussions of the three committee members lasted 6 hours and resulted in Shastri’s reappointment till 2021.

Ravi Shastri pipped his contenders Mike Hesson and Tom Moody on Communication. Below is the sample Pof parameters that the CAC members interviewed the contenders. #coach #BCCI pic.twitter.com/JKcVqKhKwB

— G. S. Vivek (@GSV1980) August 16, 2019

The heart of the matter

Speaking to the media, the committee head Kapil Dev stated:

“The system was simple. After a meeting of almost six hours, all three of us had our markings. We unanimously decided after accounting for all the numbers... number one is Ravi Shastri.

"We didn’t discuss who is giving whom how many marks. When we calculated it was a close race, the difference was small and we were amazed.”

Kapil further revealed that Shastri's presentation described the achievements of the Indian side under his coaching career, and that he was able to communicate his plans better.

Anshuman Gaekwad felt that Shastri being the current coach, knew the players well and that there was no need to start things afresh with a new coach.

The committee's third member, Shantha Rangaswamy said the committee weighed past performances, and that swung the vote in Shastri's favor.

What's next?

After the reappointment, Shastri will be India’s head coach until 2021 T20 World Cup. The Indian fans would be hopeful that the coach can take India to the next level, and help the team avoid the late-stage defeats in ICC tournaments that they have been suffering lately.