The Board of Control for Cricket in India on Tuesday confirmed that former fast bowler Bharat Arun had been appointed Team India’s new bowling coach. Sanjay Bangar was named the team’s assistant coach. R Sridhar will continue as the fielding coach. All three have been given two-year contracts till the 2019 World Cup.
A BCCI committee comprising Acting President CK Khanna, Acting Secretary Amitabh Choudhary and Committee of Administrators member Diana Edulji met at the cricketing body’s headquarters in Mumbai to confirm the appointment. The panel also met CoA Chairman Vinod Rai, who gave the go ahead to bring Arun on board, The Times of India reported.
Arun was selected on the recommendation of newly-appointed Head Coach Ravi Shastri. He has been handed a full-time role as a bowling consultant. The 54-year-old had worked with the Indian cricket team when Shastri was the squad’s team director.
However, this development raises questions about the role Zaheer Khan, who had been named the bowling consultant for overseas tours, and Rahul Dravid, who had been appointed the batting consultant for overseas tours. The BCCI tried to clarify the news, saying Khan will be available for only 150 days a year, but their positions are still unclear as the team already has full-time bowling and batting coaches.
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