This candidate almost toppled Ravi Shastri for India head coach job

The decision to retain Shastri was unanimously taken by the Kapil Dev-led Cricket Advisory Committee.

Mike Hesson's impressive track record with the Black Caps almost sealed the deal for him | Getty

Ravi Shastri recently retained his position as India's chief coach for the next two years. The Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) consisting of Kapil Dev, Anshuman Gaekwad and Shantha Rangaswamy re-appointed Shastri as the head coach, a decision that was expected given his successful stint with the team in the last couple of years.

However, it has now come to the fore that New Zealand’s Mike Hesson had almost toppled Shastri. A senior Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) functionary on Friday (August 23) told IANS that it was a close call between Shastri and Hesson and the latter’s impressive stint with Black Caps from 2012 till 2018 had almost sealed the deal for him.

“It was not a walk in the park for Shastri as some of you seem to believe. Hesson was really close to getting the go-ahead. It is there for all to see how the New Zealand team improved by leaps and bounds under him across all formats. From being the perennial surprise package in big-ticket events, they had become a champion side under him and that is something that really impressed the CAC,” the BCCI functionary said.

“Under his coaching, the Kiwis reached their first-ever World Cup final in 2015. While he did resign in 2018, the Kiwis playing their second final on the trot in 2019 also had a lot to do with what Hesson brought to the table. His strategizing with the senior members in the team can’t be discounted,” he explained.

Asked what then turned the table back in Shastri’s favour, considering that the CAC didn’t consult skipper Virat Kohli before taking the call, the functionary said it was Shastri’s experience as a player on the international stage.

“The CAC felt that Shastri’s proven record as a player was one area that needed to be give due recognition as one’s own stature might become an area of concern when handling a team which has big names.

“Hesson hadn’t played enough cricket himself and as we know started coaching in his early twenties. Shastri on the other hand played 80 Test matches and 150 ODIs. That is something that went against the Kiwi,” the functionary stated.

(With IANS inputs)

 
 

By Salman Anjum - 25 Aug, 2019

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