Here's what tilted the balance in Shastri's favour in coach selection

As expected Ravi Shastri bagged a second successive twoyear term with the Indian cricket team primarily because of his association with Virat Kohli amp Co Shastri will remain head coach till the 2021 T20 World Cup which will be hosted in India However in a close race with Mike Hesson and Tom Moody what really tilted the balance in the favour of the former India captain was Shastris precise plans to improve Team IndiaLinked upShastri who was the last of the five candidates to appear for the interview gave a detailed presentation to the Cricket Advisory Committee CAC comprising Kapil Dev Anshuman Gaekwad and Shantha Rangaswamy from the West Indies Shastri made his presentation via Skype Moody too presented his case via video conference while Hesson Robin Singh and Lalchand Rajput appeared in person Phil Simmons opted out from the race yesterdayNot that Hesson and Moody did not have clear plans for Team India but what impressed Kapil amp Co the most was Shastris middleorder plansHis twoyear plan was more precise than anyone else He had a clear idea of what is required to improve this team Strengthening the middleorder was on top of his planning Getting more allrounders is his aim to bolster the middleorder a CAC member revealed to midday yesterdayAt the press conference Kapil said that Shastri will need more help from the selectors and from the Board to make this team more strongerA CAC member later explained Kapils point Shastri said that it would be better if the captain and coach can have an informal meeting with the selectors before they selectors meet the captain formally to pick the team This will help the flow of communication to be better and teams requirements be addressed in a better way said a CAC memberFamiliarity an advantageCAC members Anshuman Gaekwad and Kapil Dev at the BCCI headquarters yesterday PicAtul KambleCAC member Gaekwad explained why Shastri was chosen I think basically being the current coach knowing the boys well knowing the problems well in the team what needs to be done I think he is wellversed with the entire system while the others were not They probably would have had to start afresh So somebody who knows the system and knows the players very well can communicate well has the advantage said Gaekwad who was India coach from 1997 to 1999Shastri may have an impressive record with Team India but the Men in Blue have faltered to get past the semifinals during the 2015 and the last 5050 World Cup in England Even before a question could be completed Kapil jumped to Shastris defence If any manager doesnt win should they be sacked Nohellipyou look at the overall picture Our job was to look at their presentation said the 1983 World Cupwinning captainMeanwhile Rangaswamy said All of them provided the way forward and we weighed past performances and that swung it in Ravi Shastris favour she saidTo a question on whether Kohli was consulted before arriving at the decision Kapil remarked If we had taken his views then we would have to take the views of the entire team We didnt ask anyone for their views because we didnt have that facility said the CAC chiefThe CAC did not reveal the scores of each individual but Kapil said it was a tight finish It was a very close race and I wont tell you how much the difference was mdash it was very close he saidCAC wants say in support staff selectionTHE Kapil Devled Cricket Advisory Committee CAC recommended to the BCCI that their views to be considered in the selection of support staff members as wellOur views should be considered We have given a letter to the Board There should not be a communication gap We want to make sure the team benefit We can help the chairman of selectors and his team as all of us want the Indian team to do well said Kapil BCCI CEO Rahul Johri told midday that the CACs request will be forwarded to the Committee of Administrators However a BCCI official said that the CAC can always informally discuss things with the selection committee about the support staff Many high profile names from India and abroad have applied for the posts of batting bowling and fielding coachesCatch up on all the latest sports news and updates hereAlso download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates