Ravi Shastri Likely to Become Next India Coach: Reports

Former India skipper and current team director Ravi Shastri is almost certain to be named the next coach, a report in the Hindustan Times said on Thursday.

Shastri, 53, could also become the highest paid cricket coach in the world with a deal estimated to be worth Rs 7 crore-a-year. He was paid Rs 4 crore-a-year by the BCCI for his role as a TV commentator and had a Rs 6 crore-a-year contract as team director. If the current reports are accurate, Shastri will make significantly more than Ducnan Fletcher (Rs 4.2 crore), whose contract ended with the World Cup. (No Aspirations to Become Team India Coach: Dravid)

The new appointment is expected to be announced prior to India's tour of Zimbabwe in July.  

Shastri had said that he would speak with the BCCI after the one-off Test and three ODIs against Bangladesh. It now emerges the discussions could be related to his compensation package.

Shastri, who played 80 Tests and 150 ODIs for India, has been a hit with the senior members of the team since his appointment as director during the tour of Engalnd last year. Test skipper Virat Kohli had also expressed confidence in Shastri.

The overwhelming support from within the team reportedly sealed the deal for BCCI, who stopped looking for a coach immediately.

The Mumbai veteran had earlier dismissed the need for a coach and said he was willing to take up added responsibility of being the head coach of the team for the Bangladesh tour.