R Sridhar appointed Afghanistan's assistant coach for NZ, SA series
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has announced the appointment of India's Ramakrishnan Sridhar as the assistant coach for its national team. The 54-year-old will serve in this role during the impending series against New Zealand and South Africa. Afghanistan will play a one-off Test against New Zealand before facing South Africa in a three-ODI series. The ACB expressed its intention to secure a long-term contract with Sridhar in the future.
Sridhar's extensive coaching experience
Sridhar brings a wealth of experience to his new role, having Team India as their fielding coach for over seven years between August 2014 and November 2021. He was at the helm in over 300 international matches and contributed to India's 2015 and 2019 ICC ODI World Cup campaigns. He was also part of India's contingent in the 2016 and 2021 T20 World Cups.
Sridhar's IPL stint and certification
In addition to his international coaching experience, Sridhar has also worked with Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Punjab Kings as their spin-bowling coach between 2014 to 2017. Sridhar is a Level-3 certified coach who has previously served the Indian Under-19 national team as an assistant and spin-bowling coach. Between 2008 and 2014, he was part of India's National Cricket Academy (NCA) as an assistant fielding and spin-bowling coach.
Afghanistan show promise under Rashid Khan
Under the leadership of Rashid Khan, the Afghanistan cricket team has demonstrated significant progress and potential, particularly in ICC tournaments. The team reached the 2024 men's ICC T20 World Cup semi-finals, where they lost to South Africa. However, the Afghans stunned New Zealand and Australia in the tournament. Afghanistan also upset Pakistan, England, and Sri Lanka in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup held in India. These achievements highlight their growing stature on the global cricket stage.
Afghanistan to host New Zealand in India
In a historic first, Afghanistan will host New Zealand for a one-off Test this year at the Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground in India. This venue has previously played host to Afghanistan's home games. Afghanistan are set to play their 10th Test ever match, also their third this year.
Sridhar's playing career and coaching journey
Before transitioning into coaching in 2001, Sridhar had a successful playing career as he represented Hyderabad in domestic cricket between 1989/90 and 2000/01. Sridhar scored 574 and 69 runs in First-Class and List A cricket, respectively, for Hyderabad. He also took 91 First-Class wickets with his left-arm spin. Sridhar was part of Ravi Shastri's coaching setup.
