As the newly appointed Cricket Advisory Committee gets all set to pick the new head coach of Team India, the incumbent Ravi Shastri is the favourite to continue in the role. As per reports, the CAC may find it very difficult to ignore Ravi Shastri's credentials and also the fact that he got the endorsement of captain Virat Kohli.
As far as the CV is concerned, the Indian team had mixed results under his tenure, but the team has been largely successful and this should tip the scales in his favour. Yes, the side did falter in England and South Africa, but they were largely consistent and now, with the players at their disposal, there is no reason why the side should not be a formidable force in the upcoming season.
Some points to be discussed
However, there are a few points which will be up for discussion: First, India's struggles in the overseas conditions where the Indian batting struggled and also, the fact that despite the constant vacuum in the number 4 position, there was not a permanent solution for the role and this was one of the reasons why India were knocked out of the World Cup in the semi-finals.
What goes in Shastri's favour is that the bowlers have been fantastic under his tenure and with the World Test Championship on and with the T20 World Cup slated to be held next year, the CAC would be keen to hear and pay attention to Ravi Shastri's roadmap for the same.
We now take a look at the bare numbers and these are quite interesting - as head coach of the current team, the tenure of which started in July 2017, India have won 13 out of the 21 Tests under his watch. Also, they have won 25 out of 36 matches in T20Is and in One Day Internationals, the side has won 43 out of 60 matches.
"The CAC hasn't contacted me yet. If they want my opinion, I'll go and speak to them. With Ravi Bhai, we share a great camaraderie, and will definitely be very happy if he continues. But I haven't been contacted so far," Indian captain Virat Kohli said before the team departed for the West Indies tour.
The other big names shortlisted include former Sri Lanka coach Tom Moody and former New Zealand coach Mike Hesson. Also in the fray are Lalchand Rajput and Robin Singh - two people who were part of India's management when they won the 2007 World T20. Also, former West Indies and Afghanistan head coach Phil Simmons is one of the candidates shortlisted for the job.
