Sandeep Patil slams selection of Ravi Shastri, questions CAC's credibility

What's the story?

Sandeep Patil, former Indian cricketer, mocked the authenticity of the decision of CAC (Cricket Advisory Committee) to appoint Ravi Shastri as the national coach of the Indian Cricket Team. He stated that the panel comprising of Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman should not have been given the authority to appoint the head coach.

Expressing his disappointment in the ‘unjust’ selection process, Patil said, “Everything went wrong. Sachin, Sourav and Laxman might have acquired many milestones in their career but none of them has ever served as a coach. Can a coach select an umpire or vice versa?”

He also stated that the CAC mocked the guidelines laid by the Lodha Committee by involving the captain in the selection process.

“They didn't announce the name on Monday. Sourav said he needs more time and they will announce the name after consulting Virat Kohli, the Indian skipper. This is equivalent to saying ‘Look, we have recognised a coach but his selection depends on you’ to the captain.”

In case you didn't know...

Sandeep Patil served as the Manager of the Indian Cricket Team in 1996 but his term lasted only for six months. He coached the Mumbai Indians side in the Indian Premier League (IPL) before cutting ties with the domestic league in 2009. He also served as the chief of the BCCI selection committee.

In International Cricket, he worked as the coach for the national team of Kenya and took them to the semi-finals of the 2003 ICC World Cup.

Details

Patil found it unfair for CAC to select the head coach. He feels that Shastri is better suited for the administrative roles and will work better as the director. However, he is uncertain of the latter's service as the coach of the national side.

He also said that last year he heard Gambhir pointing out that one must ask Shastri about the number of touchdowns he has executed in then net practices in the past eighteen months. Patil went on to say that involving Kohli in this decision is a blatant violation of the guidelines which were laid down by the Lodha Committee.

What's next?

Ravi Shastri will start his term as the national coach by accompanying Virat Kohli & Co. to the Sri Lanka tour along with Rahul Dravid and Zaheer Khan serving as the batting and bowling consultant respectively.

Author's take

It may sound absurd that someone who has no experience in the role gets to decide who is the best man for the same. However, in this case, the three figures in the selectional panel have invested a lot of time and effort in deciding the new coach.

It must have been difficult for them to focus on getting the right candidate on board amidst all the chaos. Not only this, they also had to ensure that the captain and the coach are on the same page which explains the inclusion of Virat Kohli.

The members of CAC have never been in the shoes of the coach but they have years of experience to understand the situation from both the perspectives. As far as involving Kohli is concerned, it is the captain who has to rub shoulders with the coach in order to devise strategies that will take the team forward.

Hence, it is important that he gets to have a say (if not influence) as the captain and the representative of the entire team.