Renowned former Indian cricketer and globally respected spin-bowling coach, Sridharan Sriram, is gearing up for an exciting role in Bangladesh’s cricket journey as they prepare for the upcoming World Cup in 2023.
Scheduled to commence on October 5th in India, this prestigious tournament will see Sriram contribute his expertise as a technical consultant, working closely with the Bangladesh national team.
This isn’t Sriram’s first involvement with the Bangladesh cricket setup. In the lead-up to the T20I World Cup in 2022, he was enlisted as a technical consultant. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had introduced the concept of split coaching, with Russell Domingo appointed as the head coach for Test and ODIs.
However, Sriram’s tenure came to an end when the board replaced Domingo with Chandika Hathurusingha, who was appointed as the head coach across all formats.
Sridharan Sriram, who represented India in eight ODIs from 2000 to 2004, is no stranger to international cricket. His coaching journey has been impressive, having spent six years as Australia’s assistant coach before stepping down from the role in 2022. He initially joined the Australian setup as a spin coach under the guidance of then-head coach Darren Lehmann in 2016.
Sriram’s influence on spin bowlers is well-documented. He played domestic cricket for Tamil Nadu and also had stints with Maharashtra, Goa, Assam, and Himachal Pradesh during his playing career. Notably, he played a pivotal role in the development of leg-spinner Adam Zampa, left-arm spinner Ashton Agar, and veteran off-spinner Nathan Lyon. His expertise also extended to improving the part-time spin skills of all-rounder Glenn Maxwell.
In addition to his involvement with the senior team, Sriram was appointed as a technical consultant for the Bangladesh T20I side, contributing from the Asia Cup to the T20I World Cup held in Australia last year. His coaching prowess is further highlighted by his achievement of earning the prestigious ECB Level-3 “Head Coach” certification in 2008.
The Indian coach has also made significant contributions to the Indian Premier League (IPL), serving as an assistant coach specializing in batting and spin bowling for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) until the most recent IPL season.