Kolkata: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Committee of Administrators (CoA) today appointed Bharat Arun as the bowling coach of the senior team. Newly appointed head coach Ravi Shastri wanted Arun to be given the job as Zaheer Khan would only be available for 150 days with the team.
There was a lot of confusion regarding the appointment of Zaheer Khan and Rahul Dravid as the bowling and batting consultant respectively as after the Cricket Advisory Committee had appointed them alongside Shastri, but later the CoA claimed that they were just recommendations and weren’t appointed. In an interaction with Cricket Next, a BCCI official said that the CoA complied to Shastri’s demands of having Arun as the bowling coach.
He said, “The COA has decided to grant Shastri his wish as it is no secret that the head coach will have to work with the bowling coach on a full-time basis and there should be clear communication and understanding between the two individuals.
“The Cricket Advisory Committee’s decision to appoint Zaheer Khan as the bowling consultant (overseas) stands and a call on that will be taken after the new four-member panel of the BCCI meets and decides on matters of appointment and the financial details.
“Shastri too has said that he will be more than happy to have the likes of Zaheer come over and share his inputs with the boys as per requirement. It is no case of one man’s word against the other. Zaheer wasn’t ready for a full-time job and Shastri wanted a full-time bowling coach. Thus, this arrangement.”
He also said that Shastri was not against the appointment of Zaheer and Dravid but wanted a set of support staff who could be with the team on a permanent basis.
“Shastri has made it clear that Zaheer can spearhead the unit, but he needs someone like Arun to be around the team and see that what Zaheer suggests is implemented. Shastri is set to meet the Committee of Administrators on Monday and he will put forward his request,” he added.
Earlier Shastri had said that he did not have any problem with the presence of these legends as the support staff to help the team out but he clarified that he wanted full time assistant coaches according to his choice.
Shastri had said, “The BCCI can certainly bring in guys like Zaheer and Dravid as consultants from time to time. Their experience is invaluable. But as far as a full-time support is concerned, I will need to decide on it because it is me who will be working with them for next two years.”
Thus the appointment of Arun as the bowling coach unites him with Shastri, with whom he has shared good relations with ever since their U-19 days. Arun had performed the duties of the bowling coach from 2014-2016.