Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has hired former Indian bowling coach Bharat Arun as advanced bowling coach. The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will be part of the governing body’s plan to provide advanced training to local coaches and other coaching staff to enhance their skills.
The main reason behind the menacing bowling line of the Indian team is Bharat Arun. The new era in Indian cricket was unleashed in 2018 when the coaching staff led by Ravi Shastri changed the dynamics of the team and it was under him that the team started winning test series abroad.
Bharat Arun worked hard for the team with the bowlers. He has been one of the main reasons for the success of fast bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj and others. Earlier, India used to struggle to pick 20 wickets, but now it has become a norm, thanks to Arun.
Appointing Bharat Arun will be a big boost for Sri Lankan cricket as he has vast experience as a coach. He’s also been doing work on the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
Bharat Arun has played two Tests and four ODIs for India. He picked five wickets in those games. Apart from that, he has also picked 110 wickets in 48 first-class matches at an average of 32.44. His coaching record speaks for itself as under him, the Indian team became number one in all three formats.
Sri Lanka Cricket releases official statement on Bharat Arun’s appointment
Speaking on the appointment, Sri Lanka Cricket stated that they wanted to acquire the services of some of the best-known talents to train local coaches, trainers and physiotherapists for their skill development. The statement said:
“Sri Lanka Cricket decided to enlist the services of some of the best-known talents in international cricket to provide advanced training to local coaches, trainers and physiotherapists to enhance their skills and competencies by conducting regular training programs in selected areas.”
Apart from appointing Bharat Arun, SLC also hired former South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes as an advanced fielding coach, and Alex Kountouri as an advanced physiotherapist. He had previously also worked with the Sri Lankan team.
The statement added: “To this end, the Executive Committee decided to enlist the services of former South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes, who is a specialist fielding coach (former Indian national team fast bowling coach Bharat Arun), and former India national team physiotherapist. Sri Lanka, Alex Kountouri.”
Jonty Rhodes has served as a field coach for many teams. He is considered one of the best fielders to have played cricket. He played 52 Tests and 245 ODIs for South Africa, scoring 2,532 and 5,935 runs respectively.
The Sri Lanka cricket team was currently seen in action in the T20I series against Zimbabwe. Under the leadership of Wanindu Hasaranga, they took the series by a margin of 2-1. They won the first game by 3 wickets before losing the second match. However, they recorded a dominant 9-wicket win in the last game to seal the series.
