Five Potential Candidates To Replace Ravi Shastri As India Head Coach

Ravi Shastri’s tenure with Team India will come to an end after the upcoming tour of West Indies. Shastri’s two-year contract was set to end after the World Cup before the BCCI gave him a 45-day extension. Media reports suggest that the BCCI will invite fresh applications for the head coach’s post soon.

Shastri will also have to re-apply if he is looking to extend his stay with the Indian team. Under Shastri, India had a good journey across formats. The Men in Blue won ODI series in Australia, South Africa and New Zealand in addition to winning the Asia Cup. India also won a historic Test series in Australia in addition to winning Test matches in England and Australia.

So as BCCI get ready to appoint a new coach, we take a look at five candidates who are just perfect to become the India head coach:

5. Mickey Arthur:

Mickey Arthur’s contract with Pakistan came to an end after the World Cup. Since then, there has been a lot of speculation surrounding his future as head coach. Media reports suggest that Pakistan are unlikely to renew Arthur’s contract and in such case the latter could apply to become India head coach.

Arthur has a good record as coach in international cricket. He tasted plenty of success with South Africa especially in Tests. He helped them to their first series win in England in over 40 years, in 2008, and their maiden series victory in Australia in 2008-09. Under his coaching, South Africa reached the pinnacle of Test cricket.

He then took over as Australia’s coach and helped them win 10 of the 19 Tests. Arthur then helped Pakistan win their first-ever Champions Trophy in 2017.

4. Tom Moody:

Tom Moody’s CV as coach is as impressive as anyone in the game right now. He first made a name for himself by guiding Sri Lanka to the final of the 2007 World Cup. His reputation was then further enhanced when he took over as Sunrisers Hyderabad’s coach in 2012. Over the course of 2013-2019, Sunrisers Hyderabad have reached the qualifier rounds five times and won the championship in 2016.

Moody is not only a brilliant tactical coach but is also vastly experienced. With the Indian team oozing with talented youngsters, the Australia could be the perfect man to guide them.

3. Trevor Bayliss:

Trevor Bayliss needs no introduction. He is at the pinnacle of his coaching career at the moment. Bayliss is currently basking in the glory of leading England to their first-ever World Cup title. It is a remarkable feat for Bayliss considering England’s poor record in ODIs in the last two decades or so. Previously, Bayliss led Sri Lanka to the World Cup final in 2011 and No. 2 in the Test rankings.

He guided Kolkata Knight Riders to two Indian Premier League titles and played a huge role in the franchise’s rise after three horrendous seasons. Bayliss also won the Big Bash League and Champions League Twenty20 with the Sydney Sixers in 2012.

2. Mahela Jayawardene:

Mahela Jayawardene is fast making a name for himself as a good coach. He is highly-rated as a coach because of his fine work with IPL side Mumbai Indians. In last three years, he has helped Mumbai Indians win two IPL titles to enhance his reputation. Jayawardene is also set to coach in the upcoming The Hundred and will have another opportunity to showcase his coaching potential.

What makes Jayawardene a good candidate for the post is that he is one of f the greatest batsmen to have played the game. He is well aware of what a team needs to do in these days to excel and thus could be a fine man to coach India. As a player, Jayawardene represented Sri Lanka in more than 600 games across formats.

In 2011, he led helped them to the final of the World Cup and had also scored a ton in the final. Three years later, he helped the Islanders win the World T20 by beating India in the final. Jayawardene is one of the finest batsmen to have represented Sri Lanka. He scored 11,814 runs in 149 Tests at an average of above 50. In ODIs, he scored 12,650 runs in 448 games while in T20Is, he scored 1,493 runs.

1. Gary Kirsten:

Gary Kirsten enjoyed his best time as coach with India and the latter also enjoyed one of their finest phase during the South Africa’s glorious tenure. Under Kirsten, India won a home Test series against Australia beating them 2–0. He then coached India to its first bilateral series win in Sri Lanka against Sri Lanka and India’s first Test and One-Day International series victories against New Zealand in New Zealand after 40 years.

The finest moment of Kirsten’s coaching career came in 2011 when India won the World Cup. Kirsten soon parted ways with the Indian team and became South Africa’s coach. However, he did not enjoy much success with the Proteas. Kirsten knows Indian cricket very well and could be the perfect candidate to replace Shastri.