Former India all-rounder Ravi Shastri says he’s disappointed at being overlooked for the India head coaching job.

On Thursday, the BCCI announced Anil Kumble as the new India coach. The announcement came after India didn’t have a permanent occupant for the job for over a year. Shastri, who had been serving as interim coach since the post was vacated by Zimbabwean Duncan Fletcher, was said to have been the favourite to occupy the position permanently. He has expressed his disappointment at not getting the job but says he is proud of what he achieved in the 18 months that he was interim.

‘I’m immensely proud of what we achieved in those 18 months,’ said Shastri told Wisden India. ‘The boys were at a very low ebb at the time I took over as team director. From there, we went from strength to strength. We were briefly No 1 in the Test rankings, No 2 in ODIs and No 1 in T20s.

‘What gave me greatest satisfaction, though, were the performances overseas. We showed great heart and character in Australia. We won a one-day series in England for the first time in 24 years. We beat Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka for the first time since 1993. And the icing on the cake was the World Cup – seven wins on the trot before losing to the eventual champions in the semi-final.’

According to many, the overlooking of Shastri seems to have come at an unexpected time considering his good record with the side and an upcoming international season that will include a tour to West Indies, and 13 home Tests to come over the next 10 months.

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