Ravi Shastri- Just What the Doctor Ordered?

The suspense over the name of the new Head Coach for the Indian cricket team finally ended with the Cricket Advisory Committee announcing the name of Ravi Shastri for the coveted position. When a committee comprising of stalwarts like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman decides something for Indian cricket, we as devoted cricket supporters naturally accept the decision with both hands. The process for selection was the submission of resumes followed by an interview of the six shortlisted applicants which included the likes of Virender Sehwag, Tom Moody, Richard Pybus, Lalchand Rajput and Phil Simmons, other than Shastri.

Ravi Shastri always seemed to be the strongest contender, given his credentials and his past experience as the Director of the team. But there is much more to it than what we can see as outsiders. We are all well aware of the situations of uncertainty that prevailed before the key announcement. More importantly, we also need to take into account the turn of events before the selection, which included an apparent rift between the Indian captain Virat Kohli and the former Coach Anil Kumble. This would have certainly been playing in the committee’s mind while making the decision.

While the procedure was underway, there also came a point of time when Virender Sehwag, given his massive contribution to Indian cricket and his immense popularity, appeared to be the frontrunner, at least in the public domain. His stint as the mentor for the Kings XI Punjab in the IPL gave him further backing. However, he might have perhaps missed out due to his very frank and carefree nature, which according to many, sometimes crosses the line between professionalism and unprofessionalism. Tom Moody, who guided Sri Lanka to the Final of the World Cup 2007, was another formidable competitor. Richard Pybus, Lalchand Rajput and Phil Simmons were the less known faces in the array, however all of them had prior coaching experience at the International level, particularly Simmons, who has coached three international teams till now.

So what were the factors which gave Shastri an edge over the others? Without going into the depth of statistical details and a record of his cricketing achievements, one thing which certainly played in Shastri’s favor is his good relation with captain Kohli. Shastri also shares a fine rapport with the other team members, and that I reckon has been instrumental in his appointment. Then of course, his previous successful involvement with Team India as the Team Director would have been a crucial deciding factor. With Shastri at the helm of Indian Cricket Team from 2014 to 2016, India won 5 out of the 8 test matches and 7 out of the 16 ODI’s, also making it to the Semifinals of the World Cup 2015 and the T20 World Cup 2016.

Shastri has been an achiever for Indian cricket as a player, an administrator and a mentor. He is regarded as someone with a never-say-never approach and is respected for his understanding and instincts of the game. He is also known for his clean image and his ability to get along well with people. As far as I have made of Shastri, he would give the players enough liberty to express themselves at the field. The level of freedom and confidence which the team enjoys under his mentorship would undoubtedly be higher.

However, with great freedom also comes the potential scope of casualness. A good coach is someone who maintains the right level of interference in the team affairs, thus preventing the team from heading in the wrong direction and also giving them suitable space. While Kumble perhaps missed out on the latter, I am afraid Shastri might miss out on the former. International Cricket is getting highly competitive and taxing, and players need to maintain the highest level of discipline and tenacity to be consistently successful. Kumble might have seeked this discipline from the team, which might not have gone down well with them. Given all the freedom and privilege to the players which Shastri endorses, he needs to ensure that the commitment of the team towards the game does not take a backseat at any cost.

Indian cricket is in an important phase of rebuilding and establishment, trying to get all its combinations right keeping the World Cup 2019 in mind. Shastri has his tasks well cut out, both on and off the field. Besides refining the cricketing aspects of the team, he needs to boost their morale and motivate the team to perform as a unit. Also, skipper Kohli is a very passionate cricketer, but sometimes tends to lose his composure which reflects in the performance of the entire team. Shastri will also have to keep a check on the aggression and temperament of Kohli and his young brigade.

Is he the best choice? Perhaps. Would Sehwag or Tom Moody have been better options? We can’t comment. What we as cricket fans know is that we have got an intelligent and knowledgeable person as our coach, and we hope that he takes this team to great accomplishments in the times to come.