Indian cricket team support staff to guide education company's coaching programme

MUMBAI: The Indian team's support staff, led by head coach Ravi Shastri, has joined hands with Ironwood Education for its cricket coaching programme.

All three are mentors to the education company and will guide program development for certified cricket coaching at various levels.

"Under their able guidance, Ironwood Education aims to standardise and systematise coaching practices for all levels of the sport in the country, especially for the grassroots and intermediate levels of cricket," the company said in a statement.

India head coach Shastri said coaching has huge potential in India.

"I personally realise the great role of standardised and systematic coaching practices in bringing Indian cricket to its present status and capacity. Such initiatives will lay the foundation of further growth of India's biggest sport," he said in a press release.

Bela Desai, Promoter and Director of Ironwood Education Limited, said, "A structured and systematic coaching approach is the need of the day to develop, hone and nurture world class cricketers. At Ironwood we are equally committed to aiding this learning curve, emerging professionals and entrepreneurs will benefit from."

The certification program will be developed by Dr.Kinjal Suratwala, former head of coach education at National Cricket Academy along with Shastri, bowling coach Bharat Arun and fielding coach R Sridhar.

"Cricket is played in every region and locality of India, but there is still such a dearth of qualified coaches.

"The coach certification programme at Ironwood will contribute to develop scientific standardised coaching from the grassroots and create a pool of qualified coaches to develop aspiring cricketers and provide them with a pathway to succeed," said Arun.