The Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), led by former captain Kapil Dev, announced on Friday that Ravi Shastri will continue as the head coach of Indian men’s cricket team.
Shastri, who got a 45-day extension after the end of his tenure following the World Cup in England, was publicly backed by captain Virat Kohli.
However, Dev, in a press conference, said that they did not consult Kohli. “We did not ask anyone.”
Shastri has been reappointed for a two-year period, ending with the 2021 T20 World Cup in India.
This will be Shastri’s fourth stint with the national team, having served briefly as the Cricket Manager (2007 tour of Bangladesh), Team Director (2014-2016) and head coach (2017-2019).
Shastri pipped former India teammates Robin Singh and Lalchand Rajput along with former New Zealand coach Mike Hesson and Australian Tom Moody to the post. Former West Indies and Afghanistan coach Phil Simmons pulled out of the race, citing personal reasons.
“Number three was Tom Moody, number two was Mike Hesson. Number one is Ravi Shastri as all of you were expecting... (But) It was a very close race,” said Dev at the press conference.
(With PTI inputs)