The applications for the role of Indian head coach is open and the BCCI is in the hunt for new support staff. The incumbents have got a contract extension till the end of the West Indies tour and a new coaching side will be in place before India's home season kicks off against South Africa.

However, speaking with news agency IANS, a BCCI official said that Ravi Shastri compliments captain Virat Kohli and that replacing him might not be in the best interests of the side. The official also said that the captain and coach have now become important as the team will be in a transition phase and young players will be backed before the World T20 as well as the next 50-overs World Cup.

'Unfair to take a decision now'

Ravi Shastri Virat Kohli
File photo: Ravi Shastri (left) and Vira Kohli during a training session.Reuters

"A change in coach may prove to disturb the equation that exists which allows the players to have the mental space to excel. If a change is made at this stage, then it would be a change of strategy and planning for the next 5 years. It would be unfair to take such a decision at a stage when the stakeholders are not the ones deciding," the official explained.

According to the official, a new coach coming in at this juncture might not be ideal as the players will have to adapt and adjust according to him, which is not the best way to go when the team is looking at a transition. It could also have a bearing on the existing equations within the Indian team.

The BCCI has already invited applications for the positions of head coach, batting coach, bowling coach, fielding coach, physio, strength and conditioning coach and administrative manager for the Indian team on 16 July. The existing staff has been given an extension owing to the West Indies tour, but changes are expected before the South Africa series.

Ravi Shastri
File photo of India head coach Ravi Shastri (R) with captain Kohli (L).BEN STANSALL/AFP/Getty Images

The BCCI is reportedly not entirely happy with the coaching staff as they were not able to find a solution to the persisting number 4 problem in the Indian team as well as the middle order muddle. Sanjay Bangar, who is the batting coach, is the one under the scanner. According to reports, few young players in the side were not happy with Ravi Shastri's style of working.

It remains to be seen how this works out after this new statement by the BCCI official.

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