The position of Team India’s head coach is always a dream seat for every former cricketer. A number of prominent veterans apply for that single designation and after the skeptical filtering process, the one standout will be selected.
However, the real competition for the head coach position has started from the last year. Back in between April and June 2016, there was a cold war in between former popular Indian cricketers. The veteran players then competed for the seat of Team India’s head coach. Though many legendaries like Ravi Shastri had applied, the position was granted to the former ace bowler Anil Kumble.
This time, the story is different, the multiple names like Sehwag and Shastri are already on the table, and finding the right one to assist any of them as the bowling coach has become a really tough process. Meanwhile, with the addition of another popular veteran cricketer, Venkatesh Prasad, a prominent veteran bowler rowing for the position of the bowling coach, the race has become pretty interesting.
Despite the various concerns, Shastri is now the team’s favor as he already ensembles good company with skipper Virat Kohli. On the other side, with the extension of the applicants’ deadline to July 9th, many veteran cricketers like Tom Moody, Lalchand Rajput, and Dodda Ganesh has applied for the same. With a considerably fair record, Venkatesh Prasad might be the right person to lay the role of bowling coach.
Prasad is currently working as the junior national chief selector. His three-year agreement is going to end this September, he denied marking any statements on his extension.
When asked about his will to become the bowling coach of the National team, Prasad was quoted saying:
“I’ve not applied for the head coach’s role yet and might not do so before the deadline,” “However, I’m very much keen to contribute to Indian cricket as an assistant coach or a bowling coach. I can work under Ravi Shastri or Virender Sehwag or whoever becomes the head coach and bring in my experiences as an international cricketer and a former coach.”
“I’m not sure whose prerogative it is to pick the assistant or bowling coaches but if the legends at the CAC – Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, and VVS Laxman consider me worthy, I will be more than happy to work towards the betterment of Indian cricket,” Prasad added.
Talking about the role of the coach, Prasad said:
“Coaches need to have the knowledge to help build some skill sets, a lot of coaching at international level is about management and building a good team culture is very important. But equally important is the knowledge of specifics… of particular skill-sets such as say the biomechanics involved in bowling. I’m sure I can bring in my wealth of experience and knowledge of international cricket.”
Coming to the predictions of the aspiring head coach, it is well known about the lackluster proposition of Sehwag, a two line CV, there’s no room expecting him as the next coach, on the other hand, Shastri had given the interview for the post on Skype while he was holidaying in Bangkok and it was assumed that his laidback manner of giving the interview might cost him the job, though it is in ambiguity, as he is the most preferable out of all others.
The BCCI has mentioned a deadline now, it is decided that the team must have the head coach, post the West Indies series and before the beginning of the series with Sri Lanka.