Shastri recommends Bharat Arun for India bowling coach

India's new head coach Ravi Shastri has recommended to the BCCI that Bharat Arun be appointed the bowling coach. Arun, Shastri's team-mate from Under-19 and India days, served in the same capacity during the latter's tenure as India team director. ESPNcricinfo understands that Shastri put forth Arun's name in his meeting with BCCI chief executive officer Rahul Johri on Monday in Mumbai.

The final decision on bringing back Arun as well as retaining the pair of batting coach Sanjay Bangar and fielding coach R Sridhar will be made on Tuesday when the three-member committee formed by Committee of Administrators (CoA) meets Shastri. Johri will convene the meeting.

The committee comprising BCCI's acting president CK Khanna, acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary and CoA member Diana Edulji will put forth its recommendations to CoA chairman Vinod Rai, who has the final authority on the matter.

The committee came into existence to resolve the confusion created in the wake of the BCCI announcing the names of Rahul Dravid and Zaheer Khan as overseas Test batting and overall bowling consultants. Rai maintains that these were mere recommendations, made by the three-man cricket advisory committee (CAC) - comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman - which also "recommended" Shastri's name to the BCCI. Unhappy that the CAC had picked Dravid and Zaheer without its approval, the CoA decided the best way forward was to appoint a committee comprising BCCI officials to decide if the pair's services are required.

As far as Arun is concerned, the CoA has made it clear that he and other support staff will have to resolve all conflict-of-interest issues before assuming charge. Arun was contracted with IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore as bowling coach till last season. He is also coach with one of the teams in the Tamil Nadu Premier League. "[Fact that] Ravi Shastri recommended [Arun] does not mean it is [an] automatic [appointment]," a BCCI official said. "[With] Arun, we will need to consider the conflict issue."

The official pointed out that the BCCI had to be "consistent" with its conflict policies. The official said that the special committee will also consider the existing contract of Zaheer, who has been part of Delhi Dardevils in the IPL for the last few years. "I tell Rahul Dravid you can't do an IPL, but [then] I [can't] tell the others you can do what you do and I will pay you," the official said, pointing out inconsistencies if Zaheer were to be employed without resolving possible conflict issues. "You have to be consistent."