Kohli didn't influence Shastri's selection, says Kapil

Even though Ravi Shastri was retained as head coach of Team India, the Kapil Dev-led Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) clarified that India captain Virat Kohli's recent comments did not influence their decision.

The present head coach of the Indian team was reappointed for a two-year term till the end of the 2021 T20 World Cup, which will be held in India.

Former New Zealand coach Mike Hesson and Tom Moody, who had earlier coached Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL and the Sri Lankan team, finished a close second and third respectively. Lalchand Rajput and Robin Singh were the other two candidates, while West Indian Phil Simmons withdrew from the race earlier in the day.

Asked if the CAC consulted Kohli, former India all-rounder Kapil replied: "No. If we had taken his views, then we would have to take the views of the entire team. We didn't ask anyone for their views, because there was no scope for it."

Kohli had, last month, openly thrown his weight behind Shastri, who was first appointed in 2017. Under him, India won a maiden Test series in Australia earlier this year and are ranked number one in Tests. They also reached the semi-finals of the recently-concluded ICC World Cup.

India have won both the T20I and ODI series in the ongoing tour of the West Indies,.

"With Ravi bhai all of us have a great camaraderie. Everyone in the team shares mutual respect and we have done really well together as a group. We will definitely be very happy if he continues as the coach," Kohli had said last month, before the team left for the West Indies.

The CAC, also including former India coach Anshuman Gaekwad and ex-women's captain Shanta Rangaswamy, said Shastri's track record got him the nod.

"All of them gave the way forward and we weighed it along with the past performances and that swung it in Ravi Shastri's favour," stated Rangaswamy.

India have won 13 of 21 Tests, 43 of 60 ODIs and 25 T20 Internationals of 36 under Shastri.

Gaekwad, who had coached India in the past, was aware that the team needed someone who could understand the system and communicate well with the squad.

"Basically being the current coach, knowing the boys well, knowing the problems well in the team, about what needs to be done. I think he is well-versed with the entire system whereas the others were not; they probably had to start. We were trying to find out what it could be like in Indian cricket if they were appointed as the head coach. Somebody who knows the system and knows the players very well, can communicate well I think he (Shastri) has the advantage," he said.