Bharat Arun, Jonty Rhodes Appointed By Sri Lanka In Advanced Coaching Roles

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has roped in former Indian bowling coach Bharat Arun as the advanced bowling coach. The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will be part of the governing body’s plan to provide advanced training to the local coaches and other coaching staff for their skill enhancement.

The main reason behind the threatening bowling line of the Indian team is Bharat Arun. The new era in Indian cricket was unleashed in 2018 when the coaching staff led by Ravi Shastri changed the dynamics of the team and it was under them that the team started winning Test series overseas.

Bharat Arun put in hard work for the team with the bowlers. He has been one of the main reasons behind the success of the fast bowlers in Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, and others. Earlier, India used to struggle to pick 20 wickets but it has now become a norm, thanks to Arun.

Appointing Bharat Arun will be a big boost for Sri Lanka cricket as has a great experience in coaching. He also has been doing the job in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

Bharat Arun has played two Tests and four ODIs for India. He picked five wickets in those games. Apart from that he also has picked 110 wickets in 48 first-class matches at an average of 32.44. His coaching record speaks for itself as under him Team India became No.1 in all three formats.

Sri Lanka Cricket release an official statement on Bharat Arun’s appointment

Talking about the appointment, Sri Lanka Cricket stated that they wanted to acquire the services of some of the best-known talents to train the local coaches, trainers, and physiotherapists for their skill development. The statement read:

“Sri Lanka Cricket decided to obtain the services of some of the best-known talents in international cricket to provide advanced training for local coaches, trainers, and physiotherapists to enhance their skills and competencies by conducting periodic training programs in selected areas.”

Apart from appointing Bharat Arun, SLC also roped in former South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes and an advanced fielding coach and Alex Kountouri as an advanced physiotherapist. He had earlier worked with the Sri Lanka team as well.

The statement added: “Towards this, the Executive Committee decided to obtain the services of former South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes, who is a specialist fielding coach—former India National Team fast bowling coach Bharat Arun—and former Sri Lanka National Team physiotherapist Alex Kountouri.”

Jonty Rhodes has served as a fielding coach for many teams. He is touted as one of the best fielders that have played the game of cricket. He played 52 Tests and 245 ODIs for South Africa, scoring 2,532 and 5,935 runs respectively.

The Sri Lanka cricket team currently were seen in action in the T20I series against Zimbabwe. Under the leadership of Wanindu Hasaranga, they clinched the series by a margin of 2-1. They won the first game by 3 wickets before losing the second match. However, they registered a dominating 9-wicket win in the last game to seal the series.