India appoint Ravi Shastri as their interim head coach ahead of important Bangladesh series
Shastri to guide India on next tour
India have appointed Ravi Shastri as their interim head coach for the forthcoming tour of Bangladesh.
Shastri, an Indian legend with 80 Tests to his name, took over the reins from Duncan Fletcher temporarily under the title of ‘director of cricket’ during India’s disappointing tour of England last year and will now take the national side as head coach for the tour to their eastern neighbours.
It is anticipated that the overall coaching staff will be finalised ahead of the July tour to Zimbabwe, though for now, Shastri heads up a mentoring group that also consists of Sanjay Bangar, Bharat Arun and R Sridhar as assistants.
From June 10 in Fatullah, India are set to play one Test against Bangladesh, followed by three ODIs in Mirpur (June 18, 21, 24).
Yesterday it was revealed that another trio of Indian batting legends – Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman – would also become involved in the decision-making process around the national side after being nominated to the Cricket Advisory Committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India.
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“I am happy to note that our eminent cricketers have come forward to lend their experience and insights as we work towards a common goal of taking Indian Cricket to greater heights,” BCCI President Jagmohan Dalmiya said in an official statement.
“The coming generations are bound to benefit from the guidance that will be provided by these luminaries and will go a long way in strengthening our existing system.”
Squads for Bangladesh tour:
Tests: Virat Kohli (c), Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravi Ashwin, Harbhajan, Karn Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron, Ishant Sharma
ODIs: MS Dhoni (c), Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Ravi Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Mohit Sharma, Stuart Binny, Dhawal Kulkarni