One of the most important aspects of a modern day cricket team is the coaching staff which is involved behind the scenes. From assisting players in their development to providing valuable tips to improve their game, the backroom staff now plays one of the most crucial roles in the game of prison. In most sides, the head coach is responsible for selecting his coaching staff and for team India it proved the same as newly appointed coach Ravi Shastri chose his trusted lieutenants in the form of – Sanjay Bangar (batting coach), R Sridhar (fielding coach) and Bharath Arun (bowling coach.) Together they form the core which has been given the task to guide the men in blue to their third world cup in 2019. Incidentally, all three were a part of the think-tank behind KXIP’s successful 2014 IPL season.
It is extremely important for coaches to select the right coaching staff and as a head coach and one must surround himself with people that they can trust. Presumably, this is what led Shastri to choose Arun as his bowling coach over Zaheer Khan ( proposed by the CAC).
While Arun has not been prolific as a player in the international circuit, his efforts in the domestic circuit brought him much of the recognition. As a coach, he grabbed the attention with the good work he did in the domestic circuit. His knowledge of the domestic circuit and experience of sharing the dressing room with the current Indian team will prove handy as he gears up for his second stint. Incidentally, not only was Arun was India’s bowling coach during Shastri’s previous tenure as team director but he was also Shastri’s team-mate from Under-19 and India days.
Shastri’s next pick Sanjay Bangar is a man of low profile. His reluctance to take credit and camaraderie within the Indian dressing room has made him a players favourite. As a player, Bangar featured in a dozen test matches and 15 ODIs but did not perform with distinction. He scored only one international hundred in a Test match.
But in 2013 he began his coaching career with India A and in 2014 guided Kings XI Punjab to the finals of the IPL. Together with Bharat Arun, the duo forged a think tank which became the face behind KXIP’s successful 2014 season. On his coaching philosophy, Bangar had said, in an interview, with BCCI TV, “The player will trust you when you show that you are willing to work as hard for the player with his best interest at heart which I have tried to do.
“I believe in observing a lot and being patient and once you are convinced that there are certain changes that are required, you let the player know about it. Once the player is convinced and comfortable working on those changes, you spend hours throwing the same particular delivery which the batsman was finding difficult to encounter.”, he had added. It may be recalled here that skipper Virat Kohli, had also given credit for his success to batting coach Sanjay Bangar during his exemplary run of form.
The last man of Shastri’s core team is fielding coach of Kings XI Punjab for the 2014 season, Ramakrishnan Sridhar. Playing as a left-arm spinner in his domestic career, Sridhar has had a previous stint with the Indian team and also worked on the Indian side in 2011 (during the 2011 world cup). Sridhar is also known to share a strong bond with Virat Kohli and together they are known to have worked really hard on the Indian team’s fielding.
With a cohesive staff, the role of assistant coaches more important than ever. Hence, the core team of Ravi Shastri, with all the attention it has garnered over the past week, will know that they will have keen eyes following their progress with the team. But only time will tell whether they will bring the success that the entire country will seek in 2019.
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