R Sridhar, former fielding coach of the Indian cricket team, has been named Afghanistan’s senior men’s cricket team’s assistant coach by the ACB (Afghanistan Cricket Board). Currently, Sridhar is included in Afghanistan’s backroom staff for the forthcoming three-match ODI series against South Africa as well as the one-off Test match against New Zealand. Depending on how well he performs, his contract will be made permanent.
The ACB announced his appointment through an official statement on its website saying, “It is worth mentioning that the Afghanistan Cricket Board has appointed Sridhar as the assistant coach for the one-off Test against New Zealand and the 3-match ODI series against South Africa. The Afghanistan Cricket Board wish Sridhar fills the role effectively and hope to have long term contract with him in the future.”
The 54-year-old Sridhar is a level-3 qualified coach who has also served as the assistant coach for the India U-19 national team and as a spin bowling coach. Sridhar worked as an assistant fielding and spin bowling coach at the National Cricket Academy of India from 2008 until 2014.
During his playing days, Sridhar represented Hyderabad in the domestic circuit from 1989 to 2001. In 2001, he began working as a cricket coach. He scored 574 runs in 35 First-Class matches and 69 runs in 15 List-A matches while playing for Hyderabad. In addition, he claimed 14 List-A and 91 first-class wickets.
In the UAE at the 2014 U-19 World Cup, Sridhar served as the India U-19 team’s assistant coach. In August 2014, he was named the senior Indian team’s fielding coach, and his contract was renewed. When Rahul Dravid took over as head coach of the Indian team in 2021, T Dilip succeeded Sridhar.
In addition, he has held the positions of head coach for the Andhra cricket team, Tripura Cricket Association, and fielding coach for Kings XI Punjab. He also led the California Knights to a third-place finish in the US Masters T10 competition in 2023.
