Sanjay Bangar indulged in a verbal spat with selector after losing India batting coach job: Report

Miffed with his axe as Team India batting coach, Sanjay Bangar indulged in a verbal spat with selector: Report

New Delhi, Sep 4: With the conclusion of India's tour of West Indies, India batting coach Sanjay Bangar's term also came to an end. Bangar will be succeeded by former India batsman and national selector Vikram Rathour.

Rathour was appointed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as the new batting coach last month till the 2021 T20 World Cup in Australia. The selection panel led by chief selector MSK Prasad also handed incumbents Bharat Arun (bowling coach) and R Sridhar (fielding coach) extensions till the aforementioned period.

Following Team India's exit from the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, a general belief was that the bowling unit under coach Bharat Arun did exceptionally well in the last year and a half while the team's fielding under R Sridhar has also improved a lot. But the same cannot be said of the batting unit and the fact that India failed to find a fixed number four batsman for the showpiece event hasn't gone down well with the BCCI.

The constant chopping and changing in the middle-order was something that had hurt the Indian team not just in the World Cup, but over the last couple of seasons. And for Bangar to not be able to find a solution is something that reflected poorly on the coach.

Barring Bangar, rest of the members of the support staff and head coach Ravi Shastri were given an extension by the board officials. This seems to have not gone down well with Bangar, who - as per reports - had a tiff with the selectors over the same.

Bangar barged into Devang's room, gave him an earful

As per a Times of India report, Bangar stormed into the room of one of the national selectors - Devang Gandhi - a couple of weeks back and had exchanged some verbal volleys with the national selector over his omission as batting coach.

Sources in the know of the development were quoted by TOI as saying, "(When the selection committee was conducting the interview)... He went and knocked on Devang's door late in the evening and gave him and the selection committee an earful. He warned the selectors that the team would rally around him and the decision (to replace him) would fall flat. It wasn't required. It wasn't the team's job to decide on support staff. It was the selectors' call."

Asked selectors to include him in the NCA

The report further claims that Bangar asked the selectors to include him somewhere in the National Cricket Academy (NCA) if they didn't see him fitting into the support staff. NCA is currently headed by former India captain Rahul Dravid.

A source said, "But that (NCA appointment) is not a decision for the selection committee to make. Right now, the board is clearly not happy with his behaviour. Too many instances have been brought to the notice of the COA chief Vinod Rai."

Reason: Lack of trust, opposition to Dhoni's batting order

It is being said that the reason for Bangar's fallout with the team was 'the lack of trust'.

"The fact is that trust became an issue with the team when it came to dealing with Sanjay," sources were quoted in the TOI report.

The team management didn't like his opposition to promoting MS Dhoni's up in the batting order which, according to the report, was a popular opinion within the team.

"There was a complete mismatch of ideas. Yet, it's not like anyone complained against him. If answers have to be sought, it is the COA's job. The COA will be looking into this," sources added further.

Team India is returning from West Indies after completing their first-ever series sweep in the Caribbean. They will next take on South Africa at home in 3 T20I and as many Tests series.