Former captain Ravi Sastri who represented India in 80 Tests and 150 ODIs for India and was part of the side, which lifted the 1983 World Cup has once again been appointed and retained as the team director of India for the Bangladesh tour which starts on June 10 and in the meanwhile BCCI continues its search for a new permanent Indian coach whose name could be out ahead of the July tour to Zimbabwe to succeed former Indian coach Duncan Fletcher.
BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur said in his public appearance that “The BCCI wishes to inform the Indian cricket fans that Mr Ravi Shastri has been appointed as director of the Indian cricket team for the upcoming tour of Bangladesh, starting on 10 June 2015.”
India will play one sole Test and three One-Day Internationals during the following tour to Bangladesh. The team will leave India on June 7 from Kolkata.
He further added that “Mr. Sanjay Bangar, assistant coach (Batting), Mr. B. Arun, assistant coach (Bowling) and Mr. R. Sridhar, assistant coach (Fielding), will assist Mr. Ravi Shastri during the Bangladesh tour. Mr. Biswarup Dey will be the administrative manager. Mr. Rishikesh Upadhayaya has been appointed as logistics manager for the tour“.
Shastri’s massive experience of having played for Indian cricket as well as having worked closely with the current International players is now further expected to bolster the side. In his ‘second innings’, Shastri will once again be joined by Sanjay Bangar and Bharat Arun, who will continue their services as the batting and bowling coaches, respectively. Ravi Sastri had stepped in as manager of Indian cricket team following Greg Chappell’s resignation as Indian coach in the year 2007 following the World Cup debacle that year.
Shastri had travelled with the Indian team to Bangladesh in 2007 as cricket manager after Greg Chappell resignation. Shastri has served as director since India’s ODI series in England last summer and even for the Indian team that lost the Test series in Australia 0-2 after a fighting performance but went down tamely in the ODI tri-series that followed. In the World Cup 2015 that happened in March, the Indians, who were the defending champions, were necked out in the semi-final stage.
Former Indian coach Duncan Fletcher’s tenure had ended earlier this year after the World Cup. The permanent coach’s appointment for team India will be done after consulting the newly-formed powerful advisory committee of the BCCI, which comprises former greats Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman.