Friday 16 August 2019 19:38, UK
Ravi Shastri will continue in his role as head coach of the Indian cricket team up to 2021, with the BCCI choosing him over potential new candidates Mike Hesson and Tom Moody.
The BCCI's Cricket Advisory Committee, comprising of Indian great Kapil Dev, former India coach Anshuman Gaekwad and ex-women's captain Shanta Rangaswamy, conducted interviews for the post on Friday and unanimously agreed to keep faith in Shastri until the 2021 World T20 in India.
As well as incumbent Shastri, Hesson and Moody, former India players Lalchand Rajput and Robin Singh were also short-listed candidates, while ex West Indies opener and coach Phil Simmons - most recently in charge of Afghanistan's World Cup campaign - was in the mix until dropping out of Friday's interview process.
The contracts of Shastri and his coaching team were set to expire after the World Cup but they were handed an extension until the ongoing tour of the West Indies, where Virat Kohli's men still have to play two Tests.
Before departing for the tour, Kohli had openly backed Shastri to continue in the job. His next assignment will be the home series against South Africa, where they will play three T20 internationals and three Tests starting in September.
Shastri was appointed head coach in 2017, succeeding Anil Kumble, and during his tenure, India won a maiden Test series in Australia earlier this year and are ranked number one in the world in the format.
They reached the semi-finals of the World Cup this summer before being beaten by eventual runners-up New Zealand.
