Anil Kumble might have produced some wonderful results for India during his reign as a coach but it was due to his differences with the gaffer and captain Virat Kohli which seems to have led to his resignation. The coach decided to quit from his position after the conclusion of the Champions Trophy last month.
With Kumble's resignation, the hunt for the new coach is seriously on. Former players like Tom Moody and Virender Sehwag had already sent in their CV even before he resigned as the BCCI had invited applications for the post where Kumble was a direct entrant.
Former team director Ravi Shastri had not thrown his hat in the ring then but decided to go ahead with an application after learning about Kumble's resignation. Now, Shastri is favourite for the post alongside Tom Moody and Virender Sehwag.
The Cricket Advisory Committee comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman have been entrusted with the job of finding the new coach. Though they ignored Shastri last time around for the coveted post, it would be difficult to ignore him again.
Here is a look at some reasons why Ravi Shastri will become India's coach
Virat Kohli
Kohli is the main man when it comes to India cricket at present. Kohli is the VVIP and seems to have a large say in things, and with Shastri having the backing of Kohli, this combination seems to resume once again. Even before Kumble was appointed as coach last year, Kohli had openly spoken about his desire to see Shastri as the coach then. There seems to be a great chemistry and respect between the two, which will augur well for India cricket in the future.
Shastri's past record as Team Director
It was under the tenure of Shastri as team director from 2014-2016 that India did quite well in ICC events. India had finished in the semifinals of the ICC World Cup 2015 and World T20 2016. With the next mega event being the World Cup in 2019, which is two years down the line., Kumble is expected to get the nod and prepare the team for a World Cup triumph. India had also defeated Sri Lanka and South Africa in Tests during his tenure of team director.
Man-management skills
Shastri was loved by the Indian cricketers during his time as team director and was loved by other cricketers as well. He gave the Indian players the much-needed freedom. It is his man-management skills which could play an important role in helping him become the next coach of Team India. After the Kohli-Kumble controversy, BCCI would not want another similar situation to defame India cricket, and with Kohli and Shastri having a similar thought process, it could benefit India cricket.
Not too many strong contenders
The most coveted job in world cricket will be decided after the ongoing West Indies series, but there are not many big names to choose from. Virender Sehwag is the dark horse, Tom Moody is a serious candidate, so Shastri's main rival could be the Australian, who has always shown a massive interest in the past, too, to take the India coach job. It could finally come down to Shastri vs Moody vs Sehwag, and the former team director is likely to win the race.
Backing of the BCCI
After having being snubbed last time around for the position of India coach, one thing is for sure that the BCCI must have given him some assurances that he will most likely get the job if he applies. Else, he is not someone who will apply to be ignored for the second time. That would be another episode of embarrassment, which the BCCI would be keen to avoid.
