Kolkata: Zaheer Khan and Rahul Dravid were both appointed by the Cricket Advisory Committee as the bowling and batting consultant (for overseas tours) respectively when they had named Ravi Shastri as the head coach of the senior team. Shastri demanded that he should choose his own support staff and nominated Bharat Arun for the role of the bowling coach. Also, the Committee of Administrators took a complete U-turn when they said that both Zaheer and Dravid’s name were recommendations and they weren’t appointed.
All this has displeased former CoA member and noted historian Ramachandra Guha who took to Twitter to say that both Dravid and Zaheer were subjected to ,”public humiliation”, as their appointments as consultants continue to remain uncertain.
He also criticised the treatment meted out towards Anil Kumble who voluntarily stepped down from the job of the head coach because of his, ‘untenable’ relation with Virat Kohli.
He tweeted, “The shameful treatment of Anil Kumble has now been compounded by the cavalier treatment of Zaheer Khan and Rahul Dravid.”
“Kumble, Dravid and Zaheer were true greats of the game who gave it all on the field. They did not deserve this public humiliation,” he further added.
The BCCI in recent times has been a storehouse of confusion and uncertainty. After Anil Kumble stepped down, the CAC on July 10 decided to delay the naming of the new coach after having a conversation with Virat Kohli. But after the Committee of Administrators pushed the three member panel for naming the coach by June 11, the CAC appointed Ravi Shastri for the job. Initially the Indian board had rubbished such talks as acting secretary Amitabh Chaudhary had said, “No decision has been made on the appointment of a new coach. The CAC is still deliberating over it.” But they confirmed the decision hours later.
While Zaheer and Dravid were appointed alongside Shastri as bowling and batting consultants respectively the CoA later stated that they’re weren’t yet appointed but were only recommendations.
Guha had stepped down from the CoA a month ago citing the reason to be the prevailing superstar culture in Indian cricket among many others reasons. He had also taken a dig at Rahul Dravid and R Sridhar for their dual roles in the IPL as well as with the national sides and had said that they were involved in a, “conflict of interest,” besides urging the CoA to take some bold steps.