Mumbai: He sacrificed his commentary duties to resurrect India after taking over as Team Director when the lads were getting thrashed in a Test series in the summer of 2014 in England. Former India all-rounder Ravi Shastri joined head coach Duncan Fletcher and MS Dhoni and remained in the Indian dressing room till the end of India’s campaign in the ICC World T20 this year.
Under Shastri’s leadership Team India have achieved great success. They reached the semis of two World Cups and won a Test series in Sri Lanka after 22 years. This was followed with a Test series triumph over the Proteas at home.
Read: Rahul Dravid, not Anil Kumble was BCCI’s first choice as India head coach
Moreover, Shastri is credited for Virat Kohli’s explosive form. Kohli had a horrifying outing in England but once Shastri came into the picture, India’s Test skipper turned a new leaf almost overnight, a devilish one!
On June 23, 2016, Shastri was left bruised, battered, disappointed and gutted after former India skipper Anil Kumble was announced as head coach of the Indian cricket team for one year. Till Kumble joined the race for coach, Shastri was ruling the roost and was a strong contender for the top job.
Although upset with the BCCI’s decision, Shastri has his own ways of coping with sadness, for example cooling off his heels on the sandy beaches of Thailand.
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I was very disappointed because the hard work the entire unit had put in, in the last 18 months. To see where they were when the support staff and I took over and to where they reached in 18 months makes me feel proud. They got up, threw punches and ended up where they were. No 1 in Test cricket, No 1 in T20, No 2 in ODI [One-Day International]. You can’t ask for more. Even I didn’t expect such a transformation in 18 months with this young team.
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I feel really proud. I was honest, worked hard along with the support staff, and the players were fantastic. You look during those months with the BCCI being hammered in the court and media for various reasons, cricket was the shining light. People really took to watching the way Indian team was playing,” Shastri opened up during an interview with ‘The Indian Express’.
When asked about his further plans, Shastri didn’t think twice to say that he just wants to chill. “I have been in the field for a long enough. That was yesterday. There is bright sunshine in Thailand today. So, get up, hit the beach and just chill,” he added.
Kumble was not included in the 21-candidate short list for the final interview with the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) but the BCCI left the option to the CAC who could interview candidates without the set qualifying marks.
Also Read: Anil Kumble: Epitome of discipline, determination, commitment
According to media reports, Shastri’s snub for the top job was because of Sourav Ganguly, who backed his former teammate Kumble to the hilt. The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) President managed to convince the rest, VVS Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar and Sanjay Jagdale (the others in the committee) to endorse his view.
And the BCCI had to abide by the CAC verdict. It can be recalled that after Shashank Manohar stepped down as the Board chief, Anurag Thakur was elected as President of BCCI after East Zone backed him and Bengal played an important catalyst to elevate Thakur for the top managerial job.
