As the newly-appointed head coach Ravi Shastri spells out why he was so desperate to have Bharat Arun as part of his support staff, Rediff.com's Harish Kotian listens in.
He has encountered technical problems outside the off-stump and perhaps that's one of the reasons he opted for throwdowns against the red duke ball, an effort to counter the swing factor in England at the on-going Champions Trophy.
Former India opener Virender Sehwag has been appointed by Kings XI Punjab as the mentor for the upcoming Indian Premier League Season 9. "In his new role, Virender Sehwag will work closely with head coach Sanjay Bangar and be responsible for guiding and motivating the squad to help them excel at their performances," a press release from Kings XI stated. Sehwag, who played for Kings XI recently retired from international cricket as well as the IPL.
India's newly-appointed batting coach Vikram Rathour says the opening slot and performance of the middle-order in ODIs are his primary concerns as he prepares to begin his tenure with the series against South Africa.
Former Team India Director Ravi Shastri has applied for the chief coach's post of the Indian cricket team, staking strong claims of returning at the helm.
Just a few days after the BCCI invited applications for the vacant post of India senior men's team head coach through its website, chief selector Sandeep Patil has thrown his hat into the ring for the high-profile job. "I have just applied (for the post)," Patil told PTI.
The BCCI finally invited applications for the head coach of the Indian cricket team, on Wednesday, with the circular comprising a nine-point criteria including one stating a 'desire' to have a Hindi speaking coach.
Former Team India Director Ravi Shastri along with his support staff which includes Sanjay Bangar, Bharat Arun and Ramakrishnan Sridhar are all set to re-apply after the Board of Control for Cricket in India advertises for the national coaching positions in the next couple of days.
Former India off-spinner Erapalli Prasanna on Friday took a dig at Virat Kohli and said if the current skipper feels he is the boss of Indian cricket then the team can do without a coach.
India's batting coach Sanjay Bangar lauded his batsmen for adapting quickly to the team's requirements and coming out to bat at any position they are asked to.
Former batsman V V S Laxman believes tinkering with Team India's support staff is not a viable option and newly-appointed team director Ravi Shastri and coach Duncan Fletcher should stay till the 2015 World Cup.
The Headlingley triumph marked the start of a new and important chapter in Indian cricket, with the Indians winning consistently away from home from that point onwards.
Kohli scores brilliant century to leave first Test finely poised
India's batting came a cropper in the Hamilton game as they were dismissed for their seventh lowest total of 92.
Kings XI Punjab coach Sanjay Bangar on Tuesday said losing Glenn Maxwell at the fag end of the Indian Premier League is a big blow to the team, which has already been eliminated from the play-offs.
'Nothing wrong with his methods but changes in approach may help Rahul'
He was 51 and was in charge of BCCI's cricket operations till last month for nearly four years.
Captain George Bailey believes the forthcoming Champions League Twenty20 tournament is a new start for his team Kings XI Punjab but the Indian Premier League runners up are ready for the challenge and hoping to win their first major title.
Dinesh Karthik, who gets another shot in the Indian ODI team, says that the No 4 position suits him best in the batting line-up.
Duncan Fletcher's impending exit prompts Haresh Pandya to suggest 'Indian' options for the job of national coach.
'When Hardik was dropped from the Zimbabwe tour, coach Sanjay Bangar called, telling him to work hard and not lose focus.' 'This really motivated Hardik to do better and he emerged one of the star performers during India A's tour of Australia.'
Former India all-rounder Ravi Shastri has been appointed interim coach of India's cricket team for the tour of Bangladesh. The team will play one Test and three One-day Internationals on the tour, which kicks-off with the Test, from June 10 to 14.
With the three-match T20I series ahead and also the World Cup round the corner, India will have to address this weakness to ensure that their much-vaunted batting doesn't crumble on an odd day when the condition aids swing bowling in England.
Pace bowler Dhawal Kulkarni, who has played a lot of domestic cricket before gaining his India cap, claimed he has learnt quite a bit from the likes of Austalian Shane Watson, his current captain at Rajasthan Royals.
The trio, according to sources, will provide input to BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya and secretary Anurag Thakur, who were on Sunday entrusted with the job of finding the new coach at the Board of Control for Cricket in India's Working Committee meeting in Kolkata.
Vaibhav Gehlot, son of Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, was elected president of the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) as his panel swept all six posts in a tension-ridden election of the state body.
Team India's cricket director Ravi Shastri has played a massive role in getting Shikhar Dhawan back on track after a prolonged lean patch during the tour of Australia that preceded the ongoing World Cup.
India went in for an optional practice on Saturday and Dhoni was seen doing what normally a skipper does -- inspecting the Eden Gardens pitch, taking local feedbacks and giving his team mates a pep talk.
India captain Virat Kohli lauded his bowlers after their series-winning performance in the high-scoring third One-Day International, in Kanpur on Sunday.
Pace attack may be seen as India's perennial problem overseas but it would be a thing of past come Australia series beginning next month, feels assistant coach Sanjay Bangar.
South Africa's explosive batsman David Miller, who will lead the Kings XI Punjab in this edition of the IPL, feels that captaincy has not brought any added pressure on him. "Responsibility changes a bit as captain, but I am really looking forward to it," Miller said. "No pressure, to be honest. I see it as an opportunity. We have changed the squad a little bit this year, couple of new additions, but most of the squad stays the same. "I really believe we can win the competition this year. The fact that we haven't won it, doesn't add any more pressure. It's a great opportunity for the guys to step up," he added. The 26-year-old said he is looking forward to the captaincy challenge.
Board of Control for Cricket in India secretary Anurag Thakur said a shortlist of names of individuals who are interested in taking over from Duncan Fletcher, whose contract expired at the end of World Cup, is yet to be made.
The appointment of next India chief coach, Chennai Super Kings's low de-merger valuation of Rs 5 lakh and Neeraj Kumar's appointment as the Anti-Corruption Unit's chief consultant are some of the key issues that will be discussed during the Board of Control for Cricket in India's Working Committee meeting, in Kolkata, on Sunday.
The ignored trio of KL Rahul, Ajinkya Rahane and Ishant Sharma were part of an optional practice session at Newlands, even as South Africa coach Ottis Gibson warned they would continue to torment India with pace.
Assistant coach Sanjay Bangar, on Thursday, said neither opposition nor conditions would really matter for a supremely-confident Indian team, eyeing its first series win in South Africa.
Having earned a maiden call-up in the Indian one-day side for the upcoming South Africa series, Punjab all-rounder Gurkeerat Singh Mann said that captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh are his batting and bowling role models respectively.
Promising that India will not back down from their "aggressive brand of cricket", team director Ravi Shastri feels consistency and patience would be key to success as the hosts gear up to face South Africa next month.
- 'Time Indian cricket looked beyond Fletcher' - 'Their bowling has been pretty inconsistent'
Sanjay Bangar termed Umesh Yadav, who has been providing the team with breakthroughs at crucial juncture, as 'the most improved bowler' in the last one and half seasons.
Kings XI Punjab coach Sanjay Bangar rued drop catches as Chris Gayle went on to smash a match-winning 57-ball 117, saying the West Indian batsman's innings completely turned the match in Royal Challengers Bangalore's favour in their Indian Premier League match on Wednesday.
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