Ravi Shastri had been in the fray for India’s coaching job last year too, but eventually lost out to Anil Kumble © MARK GRAHAM/AFP/Getty Images
Ravi Shastri, the former India allrounder and team director, will apply for the role of the India’s head coach, according to the New Indian Express.
“Yes, I have decided to apply for the job,” Shastri told the newspaper from London, while denying reports that he would apply for the role only if he was assured of getting it.
The coach’s position has been vacant following Anil Kumble’s resignation last week. Kumble’s original one-year contract ran till the end of the Champions Trophy and he had reapplied for the job after the BCCI decided to invite applications for the post in May.
In the wake of Kumble’s resignation, the BCCI decided to invite fresh applications for the post to add to the five shortlisted candidates – Virender Sehwag, Tom Moody, Lalchand Rajput, Richard Pybus and Dodda Ganesh. The last date for submissions is July 9. The BCCI’s Cricket Advisory Committee – comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman – has been tasked with selecting the team’s coach.
Shastri had applied for the role in 2016 too, and was disappointed he had missed out since the team had done well during his tenure as director. Shastri took over as team director in August 2014 and under him, India made it to semi-finals of successive global events – the 2015 World Cup and the 2016 World T20, and also climbed to No. 1 on the Test rankings for a period of eight weeks until Australia took over in February 2016. During that period, India also won their first limited-overs bilateral series in Australia, whitewashing the hosts 3-0 in a T20I series. While he worked alongside Duncan Fletcher in the early part of his tenure, Shastri had sole responsibility after the 2015 World Cup.
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Source: ESPN Crickinfo