Is Tom Moody aiming Team India’s head coach role? Twitter feels so

Former Australia cricketer Tom Moody has come to an end of his coaching stint with the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), a Hyderabad based franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He served as the coach of the orange brigade for seven years and saw them winning the title once (2016) and finishing as the runners-up in 2018. This year, the SRH’s close loss in the eliminator against Delhi Capitals saw the 53-year-old breaking down, making it evident how much he was involved with the Hyderabad franchise.

Moody, who has been part of two World Cup-winning squads in 1987 and 1999, was replaced with Trevor Bayliss – under whose tutelage England won their maiden World Cup title last Sunday. And Moody has applied for the post of the coach of the Indian team as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has sought applications.

The contract of current India head coach Ravi Shastri concludes this year though he has been asked to stay on till the end of the West Indies starting next month. If Moody succeeds to become the Indian coach, he will be the second Australian to do so after Greg Chappell.

Moody has name for himself in coaching

Moody, who played eight Tests and 76 ODIs between 1989 and 1999 and made over 1,600 runs and took 54 wickets, was handy batting all-rounder in his career. He had quite a few high-profile roles in coaching after his playing days and they were both in international and franchise cricket. While he coached Rangpur Riders – a team in the Bangladesh Premier League – since 2017 and Western Australia cricket team between 2007 and 2010, he also coached Sri Lankan national team between 2005 and 2007.

Shastri had a fairly successful stint as India’s head coach since taking over from Anil Kumble, who had an unceremonious exit, in 2017. It was under his tutelage that India beat Australia in a Test series Down Under and South Africa in an ODI series in their den – both for the first time. Shastri and the rest of India’s coaching staff members came under criticism following the Men in Blue’s shock exit from the cricket World Cup earlier this month but the former all-rounder could still have the backing of influential quarters to get the job again.