Ravi Shastri reveals the reason behind his application for the coach's role

What's the story?

Ravi Shastri, the new head coach of the Indian Cricket team, opened up on the reasons that made him apply for the role when BCCI opened the application's window for the second time. According to mid-day, Shastri openly stated that he sent in his application only when he realised that team India was hemmed in serious problems.

Talking about his application, the former Indian all-rounder said, “I didn't apply in the first place. What did make me apply was when I realised that there was a huge problem there. Initially, I didn't reply but I didn't realise how serious the issues were.” He accepted that he was taken aback when the news of the rift between the former Indian head coach Anil Kumble and Indian skipper Virat Kohli started circulating in the media. That convinced him that there were serious issues surrounding team India.

“When the BCCI reopened the (application window), I gave it to a thought and said to myself, ‘you must (apply) because you have been instrumental in (the appointment of) your support staff and have seen where your team has risen to. Now, you can also see in front of your eyes that there is a problem, so instead of backing away from it, take it head on’,” he added.

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In case you didn't know...

Anil Kumble stepped down from the position of India's head coach following the news of the rift between him and the skipper owing to the difference in their approach towards the team's betterment. Although the two never addressed the disharmony between them in front of the media, soon Kumble announced his decision on Twitter and stated that Kohli's ‘reservations’ with the coaching style as the prime reason.

The BCCI then sent out its second set of invitations to the veterans to apply for the same role. The Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) was given the responsibility for appointing the best man for the job from the pool of applicants and they announced their decision to appoint Shastri on Tuesday followed by naming other members of the support staff.

Details

The CAC comprising of former Indian cricket legends, Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman were earlier in the favour of continuing with Kumble as the mentor for Virat Kohli and Co. However, they realised that the relationship between the coach and the captain was beyond repair and forcing their decision on both would have ultimately taken a toll on the team's performance. This is when the BCCI was asked to invite the second round of applications which also saw a resume reading Ravi Shastri's name.

Shastri served as the team's director during 2015-16 and also accompanied India to their Bangladesh tour as their interim coach during that tenure. Team India's performance under him was rather good which made him a forerunner for this role in the crisis situation. The CAC found him best suited for the job and he was asked to accept the responsibility of the Men in Blue.

Ravi Shastri mentioned that initially, he was not keen on applying for the role. However, the projection of team India's current situation amidst the controversies forced him to give it a second thought. Since he had the past experience of managing this team, he thought he can work with the team again and rebuild the required equation between the coach and the team members. Now, he is looking forward to handling the situation in his way and work along with the captain towards the progress of team India.

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What's next?

Ravi Shastri will begin his term as the coach of the Indian team with the latter's tour to Sri Lanka scheduled to begin from 23^rd July. Former Indian cricketers, Rahul Dravid and Zaheer Khan will accompany the team as their batting consultant and the bowling consultant respectively.

Author's take

The history of Indian Cricket shows that the position of team India's head coach has never been from controversies. The issue surrounding the Kohli-Kumble rift was reduced to a circus and it harnessed a lot of unwanted attention from the media. The situation was few inches away from turning into an ugly fiasco. It was definitely a relief to see Shastri being one amongst those who had decided to take up the responsibility of Virat Kohli and his men because he is already familiar with them.

Not only this, Ravi Shastri proved excellent in the administrative role for the Indian team earlier in his term. Although there are differences between the role of a coach and the director, it can't be denied that he built a great rapport with them earlier during his stint as their director. This familiarity with the attitude of the players will help him devise the best strategies for team India's progress.

Certainly, he will have to face his share of challenges but he was also the safest bet to don the hat of the coach for the Indian team from the given names.