All you need to know about the new Indian batting coach - Vikram Rathour

Former India opener Vikram Rathour has superseded incumbent Sanjay Bangar for the distinguished position of India's batting coach, according to the recommendations made by the MSK Prasad-led selection committee. Rathour was followed by Bangar and England's Mark Ramprakash in order of priority as ranked by the selection committee amongst 14 candidates.

Rathour will be appointed for a period of two years starting with the home series against South Africa in September and lasting till the T20 World Cup in 2021.

"He was the director of HPCA (Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association), he was also the coach of Punjab Cricket Association, he was also an assistant coach with Kings XI Punjab, so he's got enough experience behind him. Apart from that, he has been doing a lot of assignments with the National Cricket Academy so we are convinced with his skill-sets and we thought that he'd be our first preference." Prasad expressed regarding the latest appointment.

Vikram Rathour never deemed an assuring presence in the six Tests where he opened the batting for India; a miserable denouement because the Jalandhar local appeared to be a fine prospect early in his career.

Provided with the opportunity to represent India on the tour to England in 1996, the dynamic right-hander accumulated bucketloads of runs in the unofficial tour games (759 at an average of 58.38 to be precise), including a swashbuckling 165 against Worcestershire as well as a laboured half-century in the third ODI at Old Trafford.

Unable to replicate the performances at the International level, he flopped miserably in the Tests with a highest of 20 in four innings. The frequent dismissals to the away-swinging ball invariably edged to the slips exposed inherent limitations in his technique.

Consequently fading away from the scene after not being able to impress during the tour of South Africa in 1996-97, Rathour subsequently retired from all forms of cricket at the end of the 2002-03 season.

Following the retirement, he lived in England for seven years before returning to coach Punjab and was named an Indian national selector in September 2012. Till 2016, he was a part of the senior selection committee, spearheaded by veteran Sandeep Patil.

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