On Friday, the Indian team will be locking horns with New Zealand for the first Test of the two-match series at the Basin Reserve in Wellington. Coincidentally, on the very same day in 1981, the two teams had faced each other at the same venue. That match was the first time that current India head coach Ravi Shastri made his international debut.
In an interview with Cheteshwar Pujara, tweeted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Ravi Shastri went on to recall his debut experience from 39 years ago. Shastri said, “I would have never believed I would come to the same ground, the same venue, playing against the same opposition. I went into the dressing room, it’s the same dressing room. Nothing has changed. The Basin Reserve, I made my debut here 39 years ago. I wouldn’t have believed it. To the day, 21st February, I’d be back after 39 years.”
ALSO READ: Virat Kohli Ready To Share No.1 Ranking With New Zealand
Asked about how he landed in New Zealand a day before the match, Shastri went on to recall that how he went straight to the hotel and then to the ground the next morning for the game.
Here is the video:
EXCLUSIVE: Ravi Shastri Takes Us Down Memory Lane @cheteshwar1 chats with Head Coach @RaviShastriOfc on his Test career journey which started in Wellington😎 – by @RajalArora
Full video here 📽️👉 https://t.co/BDaz7vvB7s
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 20, 2020
Narrating the story of his debut, Shastri said, “I’ll never forget that. I reached New Zealand at about 9:30 at night. The late Bapu Nadkarni came to fetch me at the airport. The Indian team was at the high commission for their official do. I went straight to the hotel and my roommate was Dilip (Vengsarkar) but there was no one in the room so I crashed out. Next morning, Sunny (Sunil Gavaskar) lost the toss, we were put into the field and there you were, you were playing the game and you were playing straight away.”
Shastri impressed with the ball on his debut as he went on to scalp six wickets over two innings even as India went on to lose the match by 62 runs.
ALSO READ: BCCI Not Happy With ICC’s Plans of New Global Tournaments
Talking about the same, Shastri said, “I think I was nervous. I was definitely nervous as one would imagine anyone playing his first game, but I bowled tidily and I got one wicket – of Jeremy Coney – and that got my confidence going. Conditions were totally different from what you were used to playing in India or anywhere else in the world because there were blustering winds. It was a very very cold day. Thanks to Polly Umrigar’s sweater. I didn’t even have my own sweater.”
