Ravi Shastri All But Through As CAC Not Keen On Foreign Coach For Team India

Speaking to IANS, a CAC member said that with the team doing so well under Shastri, it was all but certain that the former India all-rounder will continue to coach the Virat Kohli-led team.

The uncertainty over whether Ravi Shastri will continue as Team India's head coach seems all but over, as the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) -- comprising Kapil Dev, Anshuman Gaekwad and Shantha Rangaswamy -- appointed to pick the new coach has made it clear that it is not looking at a foreign face for the coveted post. Speaking to IANS, a CAC member said that with the team doing so well under Shastri, it was all but certain that the former India all-rounder will continue to coach the Virat Kohli-led team. "We are not too keen to bring in a foreign coach. Yes, had someone of the stature of Gary Kirsten applied, we might have given it a thought. But even then, an Indian would have always been the priority. After all, the team has also done well under an Indian head coach, so why look for a change? As things stand now, Shastri does look to be the favourite to be handed a fresh contract," the CAC member said. A senior BCCI official had also recently said that it was important for Shastri to continue as the team was undergoing transition. "Nothing permanent with a long term effect should happen at this stage of transition. Shastri and Kohli complement each other well and it would be unfair to change half of a team that has been successful. A change in coach may disturb the equation that exists and allows the players to have the mental space to excel. "If a change is made at this stage, it would be a change of strategy and planning for the next 5 years. It would be unfair to take such a decision at a stage when the stakeholders are not the ones deciding," the official told IANS.