- Financial windfall for world champs
Sri Lankan throw down specialist coach of India’s men’s cricket team Nuwan Seneviratne has been in luck’s way, being showered with a whopping cash prize of Sri Lankan Rs. 72.8 million (Indian rupees 2 Crores) by his employer the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), The Daily Morning Sports understands.
This windfall has come his way as part of the massive cash bonanza that has been provided to the newly-crowned T20 world champions, following their triumph over South Africa in the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in the US and the West Indies last month.
Seneviratne was roped in by the BCCI as a throw down specialist coach prior to the 2018 Asia Cup, in Dubai following recommendation by batting great Virat Kohli, who had spotted him during India’s bilateral series in Sri Lanka 12-months prior.
It has been revealed that Seneviratne, 44, a former first-class cricketer for CCC, had been hired by India in order to counter the threat posed to their top-order batters by left-arm quick bowlers before the commencement of the said Asia Cup.
Batting mainstays
Thus the Sri Lankan throw down specialist coach had managed to rectify the weaknesses of India’s batting mainstays including Kohli and skipper Rohit Sharma, who had been exposed by the inswing of left-arm seamers at international level before his arrival.
Seneviratne, who was initially contracted for a period of one year up until the end of the 2019 World Cup in England by the BCCI, has continued to remain with the backroom staff of the India men’s team.
He was subsequently given a long rope by the Indian Board for an indefinite period of time culminating with India’s T20 World Cup victory in the Caribbean this June, which has netted him a sizeable cash reward in acknowledgement of his services to Team India.
Meanwhile, Indian media has reported that the BCCI has forked out a sum of Indian rupees 125 Crores (SL Rs. 4.5 billion) to the Rahul Dravid-coached team in appreciation of their World Cup win which was also their first ICC Trophy success in 11 years and their first T20 global title since 2007.
ICC purse
This amount was apart from the purse of $ 2.54 million (Rs. 772.9 million) that was offered to the winners of the concluded T20 showpiece in the Americas by the ICC, from a record kitty of $ 11.25 million put forward by the latter.
It has also been revealed that three other players in the India squad who had not featured in any match of the World Cup – namely, opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal, wicket-keeper batter Sanju Samson, and leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal – have been offered Indian rupees 5 Crores (Rs. 182.2 million) each.
Furthermore Indian rupees 2.5 Crores (Rs. 91.1 million) have been provided to Team India’s backroom staff headed by former coach Rahul Dravid, while the five-member selection panel headed by ex-pacer Ajit Agarkar have been given a cash reward of Indian rupees 1 Crore (Rs. 36.4 million) each.