Ravi Shastri’s tenure as the Indian team head coach would go down as one of the most successful years in the Indian cricketing history. Though Shastri did not have an ICC trophy, the clap-worthy Test series wins in Australia (twice) and in England (India led the series 2-1 when the final match was postponed), put him right in the most respectable spot. Let us have a look at Ravi Shastri Latest Statement.
In a recent conversation with the England-based daily The Guardian, Shastri was asked about how Robert Key should go ahead with the role of the Director of Cricket for the England and Wales Cricket Board. The former Indian coach drew a similar comparison to himself and key, as both have shined as commentators and do not have proper coaching tactics.
“I didn’t have coaching badges. Level one? Level two? **** that. And, in a country like India, there is always jealousy or a gang of people willing you to fail. I had a thick skin, thicker than the leather of the Duke’s ball you use. A real solid hide. And, you need a bloody hide over here. Rob will develop this as he does the job because every day, you are judged. And, I am glad he has a lot of captaincy experience from his time at Kent because communication with the players is paramount,” Shastri told the tabloid.
“Rob may have more work with the domestic game, but it is very similar when it comes to the national team. The most important thing is getting among the players and setting a tone from the outset: What you believe in, what you think of them, and changing the mindset to compete and win,” reckoned Shastri.
Shastri, who was the head coach of team India from 2017 to 2021 has backed Key to be aggressive and ruthless and to focus on the players’ fitness levels.
He also said beating Australia in Australia not once but two times was his biggest achievement. On that Australian tour, he told the players to give it back to the Aussies if they tried to get at them. He believes that Key should discuss how things work in the team with former English Test skipper Joe Root.
Ravi Shastri Latest Statement:
“Rob will have an adjustment period to understand the issues and will need to speak in detail with Joe Root about his experiences as Test captain. But, in my 24 years [as a commentator], I did not miss a beat or a ball of Indian cricket. And, he [Key] will have covered a huge amount too. So, you’re not lagging by an inch. You’re alongside what a team requires and what other teams are doing. You should be able to leapfrog over all those early issues and get into the nitty-gritty straight away,” concluded Shastri.
Under Ravi Shastri, the Indian team became the powerhouse of aggression. With Virat Kohli as the skipper and Shastri as a coach, the team started to win psychological battles especially abroad.
Previously, Indian teams were considered soft on overseas tours with many players facing sledding. But when the Sourav Ganguly took over the captainship, things started changing. And then Ravi Shastri and Virat Kohli invented Aggression that we all witnessed.
