BCCI takes a U-turn on Zaheer, Gillespie and others to get tour specific roles

Photo: AFP New Delhi: Making it clear that the head coach and players will be allowed to choose the suitable support staff, BCCI confirmed that Zaheer Khan’s appointment as bowling consultant of the Indian cricket team is tour specific, just like batting consultant Rahul Dravid.  What the BCCI did not clarify was why they took a U-turn from a particular announcement made on Tuesday, which stated Zaheer Khan as the bowling coach and Dravid as batting consultant on specific overseas tours. What’s the issue? CAC comprising Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman appointed Ravi Shastri as the head coach of Team India and subsequently named Zaheer Khan and Rahul Dravid in the support staff. The problem started when CoA (Committee of Administrators) had reservations about the fees demanded by Zaheer and therefore blamed CAC for crossing the line in naming the support staff without formal consultation with the head coach and players. To Which the CAC wrote to BCCI stating that Shastri had been taken into consideration before the announcement of the support staff. "We spoke to Mr Shastri about getting Mr Khan and Mr Dravid on board in these capacities, and he readily agreed to the idea of having them in the set-up so that it would benefit the team and Indian cricket as a whole in time to come. It was only after getting Mr Shastri's consent that we also recommended Mr Khan and Mr Dravid, in their respective capacities," the letter from CAC, a copy of which is with Wah Cricket, read. The BCCI later on confirmed CAC’s claims by saying “The CAC consulted him and decided on having Batting and Bowling consultants on overseas tour-to-tour basis, as per the requirement of the team.” Bharat Arun and many more… Despite agreeing to have Zaheer and Dravid on board, Shastri expressed his displeasure hours after his appointment as head coach. The former India all-rounder vouched for long-time friend Bharat Arun to replace Zaheer as the bowling coach. Interestingly, Arun had worked with Shastri when he was the Team Director of the senior team between 2014 and 2016. While Arun getting a permanent bowling coach contract may be a matter of time, Shastri and BCCI have plans to keep the support staff flexible. According to reports, BCCI is likely to opt for specific personnel according to the demands of the conditions. Former Australia paceman Jason Gillespie, whose name did the rounds during CAC’s meeting, is in line to be roped in as a bowling consultant when India tour England next year. Jonty Rhodes could also come in the picture as a fielding consultant to fine tune Kohli & Co. during the South Africa tour later this year. What next? Ravi Shastri has cut short his London tour and is expected to return to Mumbai on July 15. The CoA will meet on the same day to take a call on Team India’s support staff.