Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri gave a quick throwback on his seven years of commitment with team India.
Shastri was appointed as Head Coach of the Indian cricket team in 2017 by the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), comprising Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, and VVS Laxman.
Ravi Shastri on 2019 WC squad selection
Shastri’s reign as head coach saw India achieve No.1 ranking in Tests and multiple overseas Test series victories in Australia, as well as wins in England and South Africa.
Shastri’s tenure with the Indian team ended with an early exit from T20 World Cup. The side is leading 2-1 in the five-Test series in England set to be completed next year.
Now, Shastri in an interview with TOI has revealed that either Ambati or Shreyas Iyer should have been selected instead of three wicket-keepers.
“I had no say in that (team selection). But I wasn’t okay with three wicketkeepers being picked for the World Cup. Either Ambati or Shreyas could’ve come in. What was the logic in having MS Dhoni, Rishabh Pant, and Dinesh [Karthik] altogether?,” said Shastri.
The former head coach also mentioned that he never interfered in the team’s selection.
“But I never interfered with the selectors’ work, except when I was asked for feedback or as part of a general discussion,” he said.
India had a good run in the 2019 ODI World Cup, losing only one game against England in the group stage. However, they suffered a major collapse in batting and lost to New Zealand in the semi-finals in Manchester.
Why was Ajinkya Rahane dropped for the Cape Town Test?
It was always going to be between Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya. There was no space for both. Rohit had got runs and we had been watching that Test hunger build in him. So, we went by form.
What will Ravi Shastri do next?
I’ll spend time with mom and family. Have spent a lot of time away from them. And then, let’s see, I’ve always been open to newer challenges and I’m just 59-going-on-60. There’s another decade of good work to do.
Former Indian cricketer Rahul Dravid has been replaced as the new head coach for team India where Rohit Sharma has been appointed as the skipper of the white-ball series.
