Press Trust of India
New Delhi, Sept 13: Ravi Shastri was retained Sunday as the team director (TD) of the Indian cricket team till the 2016 T20 World Cup at home, based on the recommendations of the BCCI advisory committee.
Shastri, who was appointed TD 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 will be played in India March 11 to April 3. His two biggest achievements as TD are India’s semifinal finish in the 50-over World Cup in Australia and New Zealand along with Virat Kohli’s side winning an away Test series against Sri Lanka after 22 years.
Acknowledging the performance of the team and the efforts of the coaching staff in recent times, the advisory committee comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman endorsed the extension of their tenure.
Along with Shastri, the committee also approved the extension of the assistant coaches till the T20 showpiece event next year. Sanjay Bangar will remain as the assistant coach (batting), Bharat Arun as bowling consultant and R Sridhar as the fielding coach.
BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya and honorary secretary Anurag Thakur appreciated the work done by the coaching staff and accepted the decision unanimously. Thakur had earlier said in Sri Lanka that the BCCI would announce the name of a new coach before the South Africa series. However, the team’s comeback in the Test series against Sri Lanka tilted decisively in Shastri’s favour.
