Castigation for failing impeccability!

Indian cricket has no dull moments. Even when the national team is not playing, there are big stars who grab headlines and space in newspapers apart from featuring on television's prime time. Nowadays, news isn't just limited to formal media but has a significant presence over social media platforms as well.

To cut a long story short, the last few weeks have not only been about Virat Kohli's announcement to give up T20 captaincy and the leadership of Royal Challengers Bangalore, but also about Indian team's coach — Ravi Shastri. Ever since the fifth Test against England was abruptly put off, Shastri has been the newsmaker.

For those conversant with India's success in cricket at home and abroad in the last few years, the partnership between Shastri and Kohli has been like that of 'guru and chela'. At least, that is the perception which the public holds.

Unfortunately, Shastri is being singled out today as some sort of a villain. The reason being attributed is his book launch in London — attended by most of the Indian team's players and support staff — emerging as a Covid hotspot.

Yes, there was a breach of Bio Bubble owing to which Shastri and the support staff were not even part of the fourth Test. When push came to shove and there was a fear that some more players could test positive for the virus, Indian players refused to play the final Test.

The fate of the final Test is still not known. In all probability, it will now be decided by the ICC (world cricket body) — as the Indian and English boards have not been able to arrive at any kind of consensus.

Amidst all this, Indian cricket fans are now lapping up all the thrills from the desert duels in the UAE where IPL fever is now peaking. Shastri is far away from the IPL, quite happy his stint as India coach is going to end soon.

One would have thought for someone who played his part quite well in ensuring that the Indian team did extremely well under tough conditions in Australia and England, continuity was a possibility for Shastri. However, the way minds change in Indian cricket administration, no job is safe, be it that of a captain or a coach.

Insiders say, since the time Shastri took over as full-time coach in July 2017, India has not won a single ICC Trophy. The loss in the ICC World Cup (50 overs format) and the loss in the ICC World Test Championship final in England are being listed as the main reasons for Shastri now becoming a "not-so-good coach".

For its part, the BCCI is well within its right to demand results from the coach and captain, as they are paid handsome salaries. However, the timing of baying for Shastri's blood seems most inappropriate to the knowledgeable and discerning. Less than a month before an event as big as the ICC World T20 — now being held after a gap of five years — to read about Shastri's last days as coach is uncalled for.

If you look at it from the view of sports psychology, to be putting pressure on your national coach and captain is bizarre. One can be critical of Shastri but none can doubt his tactical acumen and astuteness. As a commentator, he was most nuanced and would wax eloquently with the mike in hand.

He was the first director of Indian cricket till he became the full-time coach in 2017. Obviously, he was entrusted with such responsibility only because the BCCI Cricket Advisory Committee thought him fit for the job.

All that seems a matter of conjecture now, with Shastri himself having erased all doubts. His interview to a newspaper in London made it clear he is not going to seek reappointment after the ICC T20 World Cup. So, did Shastri sense he was going to be jettisoned, or he was more than happy with what he achieved as a coach, are questions which he may definitely answer after his contract with the BCCI ends.

Just to jog the readers' memory, when Shastri was made coach, one man who opposed it is current BCCI President Sourav Ganguly. It is well known that the 'Prince of Kolkata' and Shastri are not on the best of terms. For his part, Shastri has no qualms about freely talking about how he was Ganguly's first captain of a well-known club side in Bombay (now Mumbai).

Today, Ganguly is in a position of authority as the BCCI President. The former Indian captain gets along well with BCCI secretary Jay Shah. The two definitely call the shots. Time will tell who has the bigger say as the new coach will be picked possibly even before the ICC World T20 ends. At the same time, the BCCI will also have to name the new T20 captain for the next international season at home where a lot of T20 fixtures have been slated.

Cricket has become a non-stop sport. The job of coach and captain is much tougher these days, something which can be compared to international football. In the lucrative world of club football, coaches / managers are in a high-stress job. Names of Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola readily come to mind as they are known to plan and execute the dreams of club owners and also millions of their fans.

Well, cricket too is a high-stress sport these days as you see coaches screaming and engaging in the high-voltage drama that the IPL is. Names of Anil Kumble and VVS Laxman are being touted as possible successors to Shastri. At this stage, it is a mere speculation as Kumble has a good coaching deal with the Punjab franchise and Laxman has a good image as a commentator.

Kumble has the best image. As a captain, he was clean and cunning. Yet, when he was Indian team's coach for a brief period, it was Virat Kohli who managed to ease him out. The process of hiring a coach for Team India is not a simple one. Applications are invited and even candidates from abroad can fit the bill. The success of 2011 World Cup under the captaincy of MS Dhoni had Gary Kirsten as coach.

Today, it is very easy to float the names of Kumble and Laxman. Maybe, in a few weeks, you will hear more names as well, though Rahul Dravid seems more than happy being in charge of the NCA (National Cricket Academy) in Bengaluru.

For Shastri to find his next job will be very easy. Perhaps, when he returns as commentator / expert, you will get to hear more insights on not just Indian cricket but global cricket as well. He has watched it first as a player and then as a coach.

And if you still think he did a bad job, then that's not fair. When he played, he had many limitations in his stroke-making ability. Certainly, that has not been the case with his ability to ideate wins for India in Australia and England during the last 10 months.

Views expressed are personal