Greater Noida One-Off Test: THIS Former Team India Coach Joins New Zealand Support Staff With Rangana Herath Ahead Of Afghanistan Clash

Former World Test Championship (WTC) winners New Zealand have boosted their support staff ahead of the one-off Test against Afghanistan which gets under way at the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex Stadium in Greater Noida from Monday (September 9). The Blackcaps have added former India batting coach Vikram Rathour and former Sri Lanka left-arm spinner Rangana Herath to their support staff ahead of the Test match.

Rathour played six Tests for India in the late 1990s before becoming a selector of the national side in 2012 and most recently led the formidable Indian batting unit under head coach Rahul Dravid. New Zealand head coach Gary Stead said Herath and Rathour would not only bring ‘new knowledge’ to the group but also ‘insights into the local conditions’.

“We’re really excited to introduce Rangana and Vikram into our Test group,” Stead was quoted as saying in an NZC statement.

“Both men are held in high regard in the world of cricket and I know our players are really looking forward to the opportunity to learn from them. For our three left-arm orthodox spinners in particular, Ajaz, Mitch and Rachin, having the chance to work with Rangana across three Tests on the sub-continent will be hugely beneficial. Rangana has taken over 100 Test wickets in Galle which is the venue of our two Tests against Sri Lanka and so his knowledge of that venue will be priceless,” Stead added.

 

Rangana Herath has been appointed as spin-bowling coach for the three upcoming Tests in Asia while former Indian batting coach Vikram Rathour has joined the BLACKCAPS for the one-off Test in Noida against Afghanistan. #AFGvNZ #SLvNZ https://t.co/faF2cFarMo

— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) September 6, 2024

Sri Lankan spin maestro Rangana Herath has been appointed as spin-bowling coach for the three upcoming Tests in Asia, replacing former Pakistan spinner and coach Saqlain Mushtaq who was originally announced to fill the temporary role before pulling out to take up a position with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

Herath, the most prolific left-arm orthodox Test spinner of all time, will stay on with the side through to the two ICC World Test Championship matches in his homeland of Sri Lanka later this month. The one-off Test against Afghanistan starts in Greater Noida on Monday.

After this assignment, Rathour is expected to join Dravid at the Rajasthan Royals team ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. Former India head coach Dravid has already signed up with Royals as their new head coach.

Rathour’s last assignment with the Indian team was the T20 World Cup 2024 winning campaign in the United States and West Indies earlier this year.