Ravi Shastri handed two-year extension as Team India head coach

Ravi Shastri’s tenure as the Indian coach will continue after he was handed an extension for two years. The Kapil Dev-led CAC had the responsibility of selecting the new Indian coach. and they believed that Shastri was the best man for the job. Shastri has been in the hot seat since 2017 after Anil Kumble resigned from his position. Shastri will continue to take charge of the Indian team till the end of the 2021 T20 World Cup in India.

Ravi Shastri had to face competition from 4 other candidates for the job. The other names who were interviewed included Tom Moody, Lalchand Rajput, Robin Singh and Mike Hesson. The shortlisted candidates gave a presentation for their vision of Indian cricket to the CAC. It is believed that Phil Simmons ruled himself out of the race on Friday. The candidates were interviewed by Kapil Dev, Shantha Rangaswamy and Anshuman Gaekwad.

Ravi Shastri – Always the favourite for the job

Despite some high-profile names gunning for the job, current incumbent Shastri was the favourite to retain his position. Skipper Virat Kohli had often glowingly spoken about the role of Shastri on many occasions. The current staff were handed a 45-day extension to their tenure till the end of the West Indies tour. Eventually, he was chosen over Mike Hesson and Tom Moody, the other two candidates who were given serious considerations.

The CAC reappoints Mr Ravi Shastri as the Head Coach of the Indian Cricket Team. pic.twitter.com/vLqgkyj7I2

— BCCI (@BCCI) August 16, 2019

There is still no official confirmation on the futures of batting coach Sanjay Bangar, bowling coach Bharat Arun and fielding coach R Sridhar. The rest of the coaching staff will be selected by chief selector MSK Prasad.

Under Shastri’s tenure, India managed to reach the semi-finals of the recently concluded World Cup where they were knocked out by New Zealand. India have also dominated the ICC Test rankings at the top spot. With Shastri at the helm, India won their first-ever Test series down under against Australia.