Ravi Shastri’s remarks at the ten-minute press conference could be put down as matter-of-fact, brusque or just the way he is used to talking. “These Ravi Shastris, Anil Kumbles will come and go. But the fabric of Indian cricket will remain, and the credit should go to everyone who has participated in the Indian team in the last three years. If they are No. 1 today, it is (because of) the efforts they have put in over the three years,” Shastri declared in a stentorian tone.
He added: “I have matured since I last went to Sri Lanka and I have matured immensely in the last two weeks. So mine will be a refresh button that will be pushed; I carry on from where I left. I don’t come with any baggage.”
To the question “What is it like to have your own team”, Shastri replied without mincing words: “I will answer that question wearing two hats, and I promise you there is no conflict of interest here. One as a player and as a former captain; when you play the game, you want your mind to be clear. You want to be able to focus inwards without a care in the world for anything on the outside and that happens with good communication with the support staff.
“Now I will go on the other side as the head coach. My job is to do exactly that for every player; to put him in a frame of mind only about his role, he is thinking about the team that he is playing for and, of course, the opposition which we always respect and that is his job… period.”
Track record
Talking about B. Arun, who is in the Indian team coaching staff at his behest, Shastri said: “There is a track record of 15 years of his life in coaching. It has been outstanding, right from junior level to A-teams to India junior World Cup teams; he has been part of it. He knows these boys better than I do.
“You look at the last World Cup; India took 77 out of 80 wickets. If Arun’s name was someone else who had played a lot of Test matches, you would have put him on the top of the tree. So I don’t need to elaborate too much on what he is good at, what are his strengths. It is there for everyone to see.”