Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri revealed when he had become the men’s team head coach and his philosophy for success. The veteran also opined on what England Cricket’s Managing Director Robert Key needs to do to revive the glory of test cricket as England have been facing a tough time in the longer format.
However, the England & Wales Cricket Board named former batter Robert Key as the Managing Director of men’s cricket on April 17. Key, who replaced Ashley Giles in a permanent role, has herculean tasks in hand as well where the captain and the coach will be new as well. Meanwhile, Shastri has said that as the director of the Indian men’s team, he had the entire control over who he wished to keep on the side. More importantly, he added on improving the players’ fitness levels, urging them to be aggressive and giving it back to the opposing teams as well.
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Now that the penny has dropped…thank you so much for making me part of this incredible journey. Memories that I will cherish and a team that I will continue to back till the time I’m able to watch the sport #TeamIndia @imVkohli @ImRo45 @ajinkyarahane88 🇮🇳🙏🏻
— Ravi Shastri (@RaviShastriOfc) November 13, 2021
Ravi Shastri spoke to The Guardian: “When I was the director of the team, it was about diagnosing problems: I was asked to hire and fire, whoever I wanted, I could get in and whoever I didn’t could be shown the door. And it was also outlining how we want to play: to be aggressive and ruthless, to up the fitness levels, to get a group of fast bowlers to take 20 wickets overseas. And it was about attitude, especially when playing the Aussies. I told the boys if one single ‘f*ck you’ comes your way, give them three back: two in our language and one in theirs.”
Shastri, however, believes Key needs to understand what England’s Test team needs and he needs to understand where they have gone wrong as well. On the other hand, Team India has become one of the best Test teams of all time under Ravi Shastri and won several matches in both home and away. They stayed at the top of the ICC Test rankings for most of the part and won five ICC maces as well.
Shastri added: “Rob will have an adjustment period to understand the issues and will need to speak in detail with Joe Root for his experiences as Test captain. But in my 24 years of commentating, I did not miss a beat or a ball of Indian cricket. And he will have covered a huge amount too. So you’re not lagging behind by an inch, you’re abreast of what a team requires but also what other teams are doing.”
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However, the veteran stated that James Anderson and Stuart Broad must play if they are in form as experience cannot be compromised. Shastri also shared that teams often lose the plot in the way of making the future by overlooking experienced players as well.
“If their form is good, play them. There is no substitute for experience. Test cricket is the purest form of the game and if the guys are fit, hungry, you jolly well look in that direction. Every country makes this mistake, looking too far ahead. It’s too easy to look 100ft away and lose the plot by not backing the guys who have been there and done it,” Ravi Shastri concluded.
