Bharat Arun returns as bowling coach; no decision yet on Zak, Dravid

Newly-appointed head coach of the Indian cricket team Ravi Shastri on Tuesday said he was "clear" about his core team after the BCCI announced Sanjay Bangar as the assistant coach and re-appointed Bharat Arun as the bowling coach till the 2019 ICC World Cup.

R.Sridhar will continue to serve the team as the fielding coach.

"I was clear in my head about my core team and you have just heard that," Shastri told reporters after meeting the newly-formed four-member Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), comprising acting President C.K.Khanna, acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary, Committee of Administrators (CoA) member Diana Edulji and board CEO Rahul Johri, here.

Arun was India's bowling coach during Shastri's previous tenure as team director and the latter had insisted on his appointment in his soon-to-start second stint with the Indian team.

What is not clear yet, however, is the nature of the roles of Zaheer Khan and Rahul Dravid with the current Indian team, a week after the board's Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and V.V.S. Laxman had suggested their names -- a fact that had not gone down easily with recently appointed head coach Shastri.

Shastri, addressing the media today, did say this on the matter: "All depends on their availability, it depends on individuals, the number of days they want to give but their inputs will be invaluable and they are most welcome. I have spoken to both of them personally."

Shastri also expressed his gratitude to the CAC for picking him for the high-profile job.

"I would like to thank the CAC because it is a privilege and honour to be India's coach. And I would like to thank the CAC for considering me worthy enough for the job," he said.

Shastri and his support staff's first assignment will be the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka, when the Indian team lands there on Wednesday for three Tests, five One-day Internationals (ODI) and a solitary T20 International, starting July 26.

--IANS

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