INDIA SUPPORT STAFF

Rathour set to replace Bangar as India's batting coach

by Cricbuzz Staff • Last updated on

Vikram Rathour has pipped incumbent Sanjay Bangar for the post of India's batting coach, according to the recommendations made by the MSK Prasad-led selection committee. Bharat Arun (bowling coach) and R Sridhar (fielding coach) are also the first preferences of the committee which was tasked with the job of interviewing and recommending members of the support staff.

Rathour was followed by Bangar and England's Mark Ramprakash in order of priority as ranked by the selection committee amongst 14 candidates. Paras Mhambrey and Venkatesh Prasad were ranked below Bharat Arun for the position of bowling coach while Abhay Sharma and T Dilip were behind R Sridhar for the post of fielding coach.

The candidates recommended will be finalised after meeting with BCCI executives following which contracts will be drawn out for a two-year period ending with the World T20 in 2021 in India. These follow the appointment of Ravi Shastri as the head coach of the Indian team for the same period last week.

"Vikram Rathour has got enough experience and we are convinced with his skill sets (as a coach). We will ask him to declare if he has any conflict," said BCCI CEO Rahul Johri. On Rathour replacing Bangar, Johri said, "The team management had their own views but looking ahead, we felt there should be some freshness in the support staff."

"While the first candidate will be preferred for the role, the second and third ranked candidates could be used for NCA and India A roles. We will recommend it to Rahul Dravid, the Director of Cricket at the NCA," explained MSK Prasad.

To go with the above, the panel also recommended Nitin Patel (physiotherapist) and Girish Dongre (administrative manager) as their first-choice.

There are also five candidates in the fray for the post of strength and conditioning coach. The shortlisted candidates are Luke Woodhouse, Grant Luden, Rajnikanth Sivagnanam, Nick Webb and Anand Date. All five will be a part of "a second round of interviews to assess their practical skills," said a BCCI media release.

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