Lalchand Rajput appointed new head coach of Zimbabwe cricket team

Former Indian international Lalchand Rajput has been appointed as the head coach of the Zimbabwe national team. The country’s cricket federation announced on Twitter on Friday.

Rajput, who represented India in two Tests and four One-Day internationals, was in May appointed as the interim head coach of Zimbabwe and managed them in the tri-series involving Pakistan and Ireland and in the bilateral ODI series against Pakistan.

“@ZimCricketv is thrilled to announce Lalchand Rajput has been appointed as the substantive head coach of our men’s national team. The former @BCCI international is a respected and successful coach reputed for his passion, hard work and intimate knowledge of the game #AllTheBest,” tweeted the federation from its official Twitter handle.

@ZimCricketv is thrilled to announce Lalchand Rajput has been appointed as the substantive head coach of our men’s national team. The former @BCCI international is a respected and successful coach reputed for his passion, hard work and intimate knowledge of the game #AllTheBest pic.twitter.com/nT3Tpt1NbZ

— Zimbabwe Cricket (@ZimCricketv) August 24, 2018

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 “I am happy and excited over the appointment and look forward to the challenges ahead. I am thankful to Zimbabwe Cricket for recognising my coaching abilities and giving me a three-year term, but renewable yearly,” said Rajput to the Press Trust of India.

Once considered to be India’s second-best opener after Sunil Gavaskar, the 56-year-old Rajput has many coaching experiences in both India and in the international arena.

Beginning as the manager of the Indian U-19 team during their tour to England in 2007, Rajput went on to be the cricket manager of the inaugural T-20 World Cup winning team led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni. India beat Pakistan by 5 runs to lift the first T20 World Cup in 2007, South Africa.

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He was also manager of the Indian cricket team when they won the Commonwealth Bank ODI tri-series in Australia, 2008. In the IPL Rajput coached the Mumbai Indians in 2008

In June 2016, he was appointed as the head coach of the Afghanistan cricket team and laid the foundation for the Afghans to become a successful T20 international team. They made their Test debut against India this year in Bangalore.