Matthew Hayden says Ravi Shastri will make a fantastic coach, backs Virat Kohli as captain

What’s the story?

Former Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden has come out in support of Ravi Shastri, the newly-appointed Indian head coach, and said that he would make a fantastic coach for the Indian side.

Talking to Times of India, he said, “I don't know the inner workings of Indian cricket but what I can tell you is that Ravi Shastri will make a fantastic coach after being a great director of cricket. He is an astute judge of the game and has always been a cricketer at his core. I have done commentary with him and I know that he is a strong communicator, which is critical for the coach's role.”

The official announcement of Shastri replacing Anil Kumble as the head coach of the team came after a long-drawn selection process involving the Cricket Advisory Committee, which consisted of Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman.

“He (Shastri) can be the go-to man in different situations and he understands that when there is a crisis, it has to be addressed. He will also be backed up by the team and I am sure Ravi will be a great replacement for Anil Kumble,” Hayden concluded.

In case you didn’t know...

Shastri was the Indian team’s director between 2014 and 2016 and was a part of the support staff for the 2015 ICC World Cup as well. It was his experience with the current team along with his functioning dynamic with Kohli that many believe helped him edge other front-runners for the coaching job.

The other short-listed applicants included Virender Sehwag, Tom Moody, Phil Simmons, Richard Pybus and Lalchand Rajput.

The details

Kohli has been subject to a lot of flak from Indian fans lately

When asked about the criticism that Kohli, the captain, has had to endure for the past few months, Hayden was quick to defend the Indian skipper. He believes that Kohli is the man for India’s future without a smidgen of doubt. The former Australian opener also revealed that he has always been a fan of the forthright nature of the Indian skipper.

He added that Kohli embodies the spirit of the new wave of players that have come up in India. Furthering his stand, he added that Kohli will always be the man to stand up on big occasions with his performances, his leadership ability and his understanding of the game. He concluded by saying that everything about the cricketer makes him a man to bank on.

What's next?

The Indian team will travel to Sri Lanka later this month for an extensive tour that will comprise of three Test matches, five ODIs, and a single T20I game. With Shastri’s appointment as the coach and Angelo Mathews stepping down as the Sri Lankan skipper, both the teams are in the process of restructuring.

You would hope that the tour helps them find answers to their questions so as to create strong sides that are fit and ready for the ICC World Cup 2019.

Author’s take

The long-drawn coaching saga has been an extensive and embarrassing phase of recent Indian cricket. It is time for the players as well as the board to drive their focus back to cricket now.

A huge tournament is looming in the future, and a team as strong as India cannot afford to falter in its wake.