Ex-cricketer and commentator Ravi Shastri has edged Virender Sehwag to become Indian cricket team’s new head coach. He will take charge of the team in the upcoming three-Test series against Sri Lanka, starting July 26.
Shastri, 55, was chosen by the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) that included former captains Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman. He had initially not applied for the post but when BCCI extended the deadline for applications till July 9, the former Indian team director jumped into the fray and became the hot favourite.
The Virat Kohli-led Indian team was without a head coach after Anil Kumble resigned from the post after the ICC Champions Trophy 2017, terming his relationship with the skipper as ‘untenable’.
Shastri was Indian cricket’s team director from their tour of England in 2014 to the 2016 World Twenty20, where India lost to eventual champions West Indies.
Given his cordial relations with Kohli, Shastri was the top contender for the job.
BREAKING: Ravi Shastri appointed next coach of Team India
— ABP News (@abpnewstv) July 11, 2017
Shastri—a veteran of 80 Tests and 150 One-Day Internationals (ODI)—was also Indian team manager during their Bangladesh tour in 2007.