Have applied for coach’s position: Shastri

NEW DELHI: Former India team director Ravi Shastri has applied for the post of national head coach. Shastri, who worked with the team from August 2014 to April 2016, confirmed his application to Indian national news agency on Monday. His contract as team director had ended with India’s exit from the World T20 in March.

“Yes, I have applied for the chief coach’s post today morning. I have e-mailed all the requisite documents that were asked for in the advertisement,” Shastri said.

Asked if he had prepared any presentation or roadmap, Shastri said: “Whatever is required by the BCCI, I have provided them. If you ask me whether I am confident or not, all I can say is that my job was to apply for the post and I have done that. I cannot comment on anything else.”

Under Shastri, who had taken over as director in 2014, India made it to semi-finals of successive global events — the 2015 World Cup and the 2016 World T20, and also climbed to No 1 on the Test rankings for a period of eight weeks until Australia took over in February 2016.

Apart from Shastri, current chairman of selectors and former India coach Sandeep Patil has also thrown his hat in the ring. Patil had earlier coached India back in 1996, taking over from Ajit Wadekar who stepped down after India’s semi-final loss to Sri Lanka in the 1996 World Cup semi-final. Patil’s tenure was a forgettable one; he was replaced within six months.