India will get full-time coach after World T20: Thakur

BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur on Monday said the Indian cricket team will have a full-time coach after the World T20 and the high-profile advisory committee comprising Sachin Tendulkar, V.V.S. Laxman and Sourav Ganguly will have a say in the appointment.

Thakur also threw his weight behind under-fire skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, as the team slumped to three successive losses in the ongoing five-match ODI series in Australia.

“There has been a demand for a full-time coach for a long time. We had decided that Ravi Shastri will be the Team Director till the World T20. We do not want to do anything between the season but we also need to decide on the future. We will be playing 13 Tests next season. Like a team is selected series to series, we need to have full-time coach,” Thakur responded to a query from PTI on the sidelines of an ICC promotional event in New Delhi.

Thakur did not get into the details about whether the BCCI would continue with Shastri, only hinting that even the former India all-rounder could be considered for a long-term role.

“The decision will be taken in consultation with the Advisory Committee (Tendulkar, Laxman and Ganguly). We might decide on a coach even before the World T20 but the proper announcement will only happen post tournament,” the BCCI secretary said.

However the secretary backed skipper Dhoni despite India’s meek surrender Down Under in the ongoing ODI series in which they are down 0-3.

“Mahendra Singh Dhoni is India’s most successful captain. Under him we have won two world titles in 2007 and 2011. He has been a consistent captain for last eight years. Just because of one disappointing series (3rd straight ODI series loss since mid-2015), it is unfair to blame him,” the secretary said, firmly backing the skipper.

“Obviously, the team management and the selection committee members are discussing as to what went wrong and what corrective measures need to be taken before the T20 Asia Cup and the World T20,” Thakur added.

Asked about what can be expected of the senior players like Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh and Ashish Nehra — all three are part of T20 squad, Thakur was cautious.

“Let them go and play. I am sure they would also want their performance to do the talking,” he said.