Former India team director Ravi Shastri has been appointed coach of the Indian cricket team on Tuesday, according to reports in the media. However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India later clarified that the decision has not been taken yet.
Shastri has been handed a two-year contract and will be in charge till the 2019 World Cup, reports said. This was before the BCCI’s Acting Secretary Amitabh Choudhari said in a press conference that the Cricket Advisory Committee, which took the interviews, is still deliberating over the matter.
Shastri was among five candidates interviewed by the CAC, comprising former players Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman. The candidates included former India cricketer Virender Sehwag and former Australia cricketer Tom Moody.
The CAC had said in a press conference following the interviews that they would need to convey their decision to India captain Virat Kohli before publicly announcing the name of the new coach. The CAC had clarified it was not in a hurry to name the successor to Anil Kumble.
“Once we make this announcement, it has to be till the World Cup (2019),” Ganguly had said. “Virat will need to understand how coaches operate. At the same time, you have to give credit to Virat that he has stayed out of the coach selection process. We will have a detailed chat with him once he is back from the West Indies.”
However, the BCCI’s Committee of Administrators had issued an ultimatum to the board to announce the name by Tuesday evening, despite the CAC seeking more time. Shastri had been the front-runner for the post since Kumble’s unceremonious exit last month.