Ravi Shastri also praised Virat Kohli’s performance as captain and feels that he has shown some remarkable improvement. (Source: Reuters)
India’s chief coach Ravi Shastri praised the current Team India and said that it has achieved much more than other teams in the past two years. “This Indian team has been with each other for two years and they are much more experienced now. They have already done things that a lot of other Indian teams and a lot of big names couldn’t do in their careers, for example, winning a series here in Sri Lanka (in 2015),” Shastri said during a press conference on Tuesday.
Last time when India clinched a Test series in Sri Lanka before 2015 was in 1993, under the leadership of Mohammed Azharuddin. Shastri also expressed his views regarding teams of the past that had players with experience of two decades but were not able to win in the island nation.
“A lot of big (Indian) names have played for 20 years and they have come to Sri Lanka many times but they have never won a series. This team has done that. This team is used to doing things that a lot of other (Indian) teams haven’t done and that too overseas,” Shastri said.
Shastri also praised Kohli’s performance as captain and feels that he has shown some remarkable improvement, comparing with his first Test series which he led in Adelaide, two years back.
“I think he is still young. I can see a very big difference from when he captained in his first Test to what he is now. I was there in Adelaide, when he captained in his first match and he is 27 Tests old now as captain. You can see a big difference. You can see it in the body language that he has matured, and he will continue to mature and learn. For his age, he has done a lot (already) and there are signs that he can be right up there with the very best,” Shastri said.
Shastri feels that Kohli is making a fresh start. “I don’t carry any baggage. For me, it was like walking into the dressing room as I had left it. Nothing has changed and there were no special buttons I had to press. It was just that one ‘play’ button and off you went.”
India’s upcoming foreign tours under Kohli’s leadership will be against South Africa, England and Australia, next year. “When you say overseas tours like South Africa, England, etc. it is a lot of tough cricket coming up and I see it as an opportunity. I am very positive that this team can do things
that probably no other Indian team has done,” the coach insisted.
On being asked about South Africa’s tour, he said, “I am not going to go as far ahead as South Africa tour. I live in the present. We are 1-0 up (against Sri Lanka). We want to keep that record intact and treat every game as a new game where the rules are the same. You go out to play your brand of cricket and you go out to win. As simple as that.”
Shastri may have changed his Team designation, thrice, but his role still remains the same, “When you have been around the game for 37 years you probably learnt a little bit. So that experience is very handy for me in knowing exactly how to deal with the players. I have been manager, director, now I am head coach — it’s the same role, absolutely the same role.” Shastri explained.
