Ravi Shastri to remain Team India Director till T20 World Cup

Ravi Shastri to remain Team India Director till T20 World Cup: Ravi Shastri will remain Indian team director till the World T20 in April 2016, the BCCI has announced. Based on the recommendations of the cricket advisory committee, the tenures of the three assistant coaches – Sanjay Bangar, B Arun and R Sridhar, have also been extended till the same tournament.

The committee consists of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, board president Jagmohan Dalmiya and secretary Anurag Thakur. The confirmation of Shastri’s extension came through BCCI’s twitter account.

News Alert: Ravi Shastri to continue as Team Director of Indian Cricket Team till ICC World T20 2016 pic.twitter.com/37R942kClq

— BCCI (@BCCI) September 13, 2015

Shastri, who was appointed Team Director in August 2014, has been given another seven-month extension till the completion of the World T20 in April. The sixth edition of the tournament is scheduled to be held in India from March 11 to April 3. His two biggest achievements have been India’s semi-final finish in the 50-over World Cup in Australia and New Zealand along with Virat Kohli’s Test side winning an away Test series against Sri Lanka after 22 years.

BCCI President Jagmohan Dalmiya and secretary Anurag Thakur appreciated the work done by the coaching staff and accepted the decision unanimously. It is also speculated that the move was also prompted by the dearth of the availability of good coaching candidates.

The decision has also added fuel to speculations that Shastri might be given the role of India’s head coach soon. Kapil Dev was the last Indian in the chief coach’s job, before John Wright took over from him in the year 2000. With the uncertainty over the coaching staff now firmly settled, the team management can get down to working out strategies with Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the limited-overs captain, and Virat Kohli, the Test skipper, as India prepare for an exciting home series against South Africa comprising three T20 Internationals, five ODIs and four Test matches.

The next seven months will also allow Tendulkar, Ganguly and Laxman, to explore the possibility of different coaches for the Test and limited-overs teams. While the Cricket Advisory Committee was appointed to suggest names of possible candidates for the coach’s post, the high-profile panel has only had one meeting in Kolkata since its inception.