Ravi Shastri Set For Another Stint As India's Head Coach

Of the six candidates who have been shortlisted for the role of the head coach, the incumbent Ravi Shastri has once again turned out to be the clear favourite. It seems like Shastri ticked all the boxes that the panel is looking for in their ideal candidate. It is understood that he will be handed a two-year term on Friday when the committee will convene in Mumbai to make the final call.

Read More: Former India Opener Vikram Rathour Favourite For Batting Coach Job: Report

Shastri, who replaced Anil Kumble in 2017 — is believed to be a favourite among many Indian cricketers including skipper Virat Kohli. A majority has backed the 57-year-old and are impressed with his style of functioning.

Under Ravi Shastri, India won 70% of matches:

While the incumbent Ravi Shastri is set to retain his position as head coach despite strong competition from six other candidates, a new batting coach or fielding coach may come on board, The Times of India reported on Thursday.

Read More: Team India’s Batting Coach Candidates And Their Experience

Shastri, whose first stint with the Indian team was as a Team Director with Fletcher as head coach back in 2014, has gelled with Kohli during his stint as the head coach. Under Shastri’s two stints, India has won over 70 per cent of their international matches including two Asia Cup titles and a historic away Test series win over Australia earlier this year.

In 21 Tests since July 2017, under Shastri, India won 13 of them with a winning percentage of 52.38. It’s even better in T20Is with 25 wins from 36 games with a win percentage of 69.44. The ODI record takes the cake with 43 wins in 60 games and a success rate of 71.67.

Read More – Virat Kohli backs Ravi Shastri

Meanwhile, in the bowling department, Arun will have to fend off eight other interested people for the job. Darren Gough from England, and former India bowler and junior selector Venkatesh Prasad would pose the biggest threat to his job. However, he still emerges as a favourite, given his track record with the team in the last two years.

Vikram Rathour is in running for the post in the batting department. It is learnt that there is a great backing for Vikram from one of the finest cricketers of India.