Virat Kohli was consulted before picking Shastri, says Sourav Ganguly

Ravi Shastri was chosen as the new head coach of the Indian cricket team on Tuesday to replace Anil Kumble until the 2019 World Cup in England. Shastri was the frontrunner for the position once he threw his hat into the ring and beat Virender Sehwag, Tom Moody, Richard Pybus, and Lalchand Rajput to the post. The decision came a day after the Cricket Advisory Committee, comprising Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, and Sachin Tendulkar, interviewed applicants for the post on Monday. But Ganguly admitted that they had consulted the Indian skipper before arriving at the conclusion.

“We picked the best person we thought. In consultation with Virat, we picked the best person,” Ganguly told The Indian Express on Wednesday.

However, there were talks that Sachin was strongly in favour of Shastri, while Ganguly and Laxman wanted Virender Sehwag at the helm of the affairs. But as reported by The Telegraph, the committee went along with Sachin's choice largely because he had himself been accommodating when Anil Kumble was appointed in June last year.

While Ganguly was being asked about the reported difference of opinion among the Committee members, he said, “No, no. It was unanimous.”

Apart from selecting Shastri as the head coach, the committee also recommended Zaheer Khan as bowling coach and Rahul Dravid as batting consultant for overseas Tests. Ganguly clarified that the names had been finalized after consulting with Shastri.

“He (Shastri) was consulted by Sachin. That’s why we had asked for time.”