What worked for head coach Shastri?

While two of the members gave Shastri 95, the other member of the panel gave him 90. It was enough for Ravi Shastri to edge out Mike Hesson and Tom Moody to retain his position as the head coach of the Indian cricket team.

Ravi Shastri edged out Mike Hesson and Tom Moody to retain his position as India's head coach.

The Kapil Dev-led Cricket Advisory Committee had laid out five criteria for choosing India’s head coach.

The five parameters were simple: coaching philosophy, experience of coaching, achievements in coaching, communication and knowledge of modern coaching tools.

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Each of the categories had 20 points to offer. So the three members — Kapil Dev, Anshuman Gaekwad and Shantha Rangaswamy — marked each of the candidates on a scale of 100 and an aggregate of the scores were tallied.

While two of the members gave Shastri 95, the other member of the panel gave him 90. It was enough for Ravi Shastri to edge out Mike Hesson and Tom Moody to retain his position as the head coach of the Indian cricket team.

“What worked for Ravi was his international exposure and performance with the team. All three (Shastri, Moody and Hesson) were really good and the difference between them was very marginal,” one of the CAC members told Sportstar after the interview process got over.

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The member admitted that they were impressed with Hesson’s approach and data analysis of the players. “But in terms of overall experience, Ravi had the edge. He knows the set-up exceptionally well and that helped him,” the member said.

“ He gave the presentation as to what the team did under him in the last two years and how the team can improve from here... that is the presentation he gave. He also presented where he needs more help from the selectors and from the Board to make this team stronger for times to come.” — Kapil Dev on Shastri’s presentation.

Interacting with the panel via Skype from the West Indies, Shastri explained his plans for the future for nearly 40 minutes. “Since he has been with the team for the last few years, he had a clear cut idea about the whole process and he knew what he wants,” the member said.

Gaekwad also had a similar opinion: “Being the current coach and knowing the boys well, he knows the problems well in the team in what needs to be done. He is well versed with the entire system, which others were not.”

“We were like trying to find out what it would be like if we appoint a head coach. If somebody knows the system, knows the players well and communicates very well, he has the advantage…” Gaekwad said, explaining the reason behind zeroing in on Shastri.

Asked what was special about Shastri’s presentation, Kapil said: “It’s confidential. He gave the presentation as to what the team did under him in the last two years and how the team can improve from here... that is the presentation he gave. He also presented where he needs more help from the selectors and from the Board to make this team stronger in the times to come.”

While Hesson finished second and Moody third, the CAC members admitted that it was actually a neck-and-neck fight. “It was a transparent process and we heard all the candidates and what they had to offer,” Rangaswamy, another CAC member, said.

With the committee convinced that Shastri fitted the bill, the 57-year-old old had little challenge in bagging another contract till the 2021 T20 World Cup in India.