cricket

Updated: Aug 17, 2019 08:52 IST

Ravi Shastri was on Friday reappointed as the head coach of Indian cricket team for the next two years – till 2021 T20 World Cup – by a unanimous decision from the three-member Cricket Advisory Committee led by former India World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev. According to the CAC, the race was close and Shastri pipped New Zealand’s Mike Hesson and Australia’s Tom Moody by slender margins.

“The system was simple. After a meeting of almost six hours, all three of us had our markings. We unanimously decided after accounting for all the numbers... number one is Ravi Shastri.

Also Read: ‘Unfinished business’- Here’s what Shastri said in his interview to CAC

“We didn’t discuss who is giving whom how many marks. When we calculated it was a close race, the difference was small and we were amazed,” said Kapil Dev.

So what exactly tilted the balance towards Ravi Shastri?

The five-parameter rating system

Devised originally to select to the Indian women’s team coach last year, the current CAC – Kapil Dev, Anshuman Gaekwad and Shantha Rangaswamy - slightly tweaked the five-parameter rating system this time. The parameters were – 1) Coaching Philosophy, 2) Experience of Coaching, 3) Achievements in Coaching, 4) Communication and 5) Knowledge of Modern Coaching Tools.

Ravi Shastri pipped his contenders Mike Hesson and Tom Moody on Communication. Below is the sample Pof parameters that the CAC members interviewed the contenders. #coach #BCCI pic.twitter.com/JKcVqKhKwB — G. S. Vivek (@GSV1980) August 16, 2019

Also Read: Ravi Shastri responds to Mike Hesson’s heartwarming congratulatory message after being re-appointed as India’s coach

Shastri apparently outscored the Hesson and Moody in ‘Communication’ and ‘Achievements in Coaching’

What worked in Shastri’s favour

Kapil Dev: Shastri’s presentation was about what he did in the last two years and the way forward for the Indian team. He was able to communicate his plans better.

Anshuman Gaekwad: I think basically being the current coach, knowing the boys well, knowing the problems well in the team, what needs to be done, I think he is well-versed with the entire system, while the others were not. They probably (would have) had to start (afresh). So, somebody who knows the system and knows the players very well, can communicate well, has the advantage.

Shantha Rangaswamy: All of them provided the way forward and we weighed past performances and that swung it in Ravi Shastri’s favour.

Shastri’s next assignment will be the home series against South Africa, who will play three T20 internationals and three tests starting next month.

The contracts of Shastri and his team were set to expire after the 50-overs World Cup but they were handed an extension until the ongoing tour of the West Indies, where Virat Kohli’s men still have to play two tests.

(With agency inputs)