Ravi Shastri interacts with MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli during a practice session. (Source: PTI)
The Indian team is unbeaten in Sri Lanka and Ravi Shastri has already started enjoying his second stint in charge. In a chat with Shamik Chakrabarty, he speaks on a range of topics — from the equation Dhoni and Kohli share, on Ashwin’s future in ODIs, the battle for middle-order spots, and the focus on fitness.
How did the boys react when you joined the team again as coach?
It was one happy unit, when I walked in. Because it helps when you have already been there for 18 months with the boys and if you look at the nucleus of the team, it’s pretty much the same. They know the kind of personality I am. They knew pretty much what to expect.
Historically in Indian cricket, former captains and their successors had seldom been on good terms. MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli are refreshingly different. How has it happened?
It happened during my time; during my first stint. There’s a huge mutual respect for each other. It was a very smooth transition and you can see that mutual respect even now. I mean, Virat knows Dhoni was his first captain. Dhoni knows he is playing under Virat now. And because of that mutual respect, you know, it makes a massive difference. MS fully knows what Virat gave him as a player. Virat fully knows what MS can give him a player. So it’s a perfect relationship. And the fact that I happened to be back it can only help, because you could see that transition. So ensure that healthy respect and mutual respect stay. There are no egos in this team.
Has Dhoni done enough (here) to be a strong force for the World Cup?
When was he not a strong force? It’s only people who go and think he is not. Where were there any doubts? There was never a doubt in my mind. How can there be a doubt when he is still the best wicketkeeper in the country in the one-day format. Forget his batting. Batting he will continue to surprise you. Let me assure you, what you are seeing is only a trailer. The movie will start now. There could be a movie starting very soon. Plus he is a living legend in the dressing-room, a great inspiration to the younger players as well.
What is he doing to regain his mojo?
Like you said, he is also looking to evolve. Don’t discount him, because he is fitter than ever before. He is definitely fitter than I have seen him in a long, long time. Which means he has worked really hard, he is very conscious about his training methods. And then he has a wealth of experience. And he is showing it. He is a master of handling situations; soaking in pressure, playing to situations, playing to what the team requires.
Coming to the rest, with Kuldeep Yadav in the side, have you started to look beyond R Ashwin in the ODIs? What’s the future of Ashwin in limited-overs cricket?
No. There’s a lot of cricket. We are going to try in one-day cricket a lot of players over the next year or so. So that 12 months before the World Cup, you know what is your nucleus of players, 18 or 20 players, who you can pick from for the World Cup. There’s a lot of one-day cricket, there’s a lot of T20 cricket and there’s a lot of Test cricket. So we got to keep our bowlers fresh to be able to play all formats, but at the same time, ensure that you have the players you want for particular formats.
Ashwin, Jadeja are outstanding cricketers. They are one and two in the list. We want them fresh for Test cricket. So it gives us an opportunity across 50-over cricket and T20 cricket to try out different players. I don’t get involved in selection but the selectors have the opportunity there to try different players so that we know who is ready, who can be in a position to make it to the side for the World Cup.
Why is that Ashwin in Test cricket and Ashwin in limited-overs formats are two different bowlers, especially recently after the 2015 world cup?
It’s very taxing on a bowler. He has done outstandingly well in one-day cricket as well in the past. But if you look at the amount of Test cricket that is being played and the kind of standards he has set, it’s not easy to play across all three formats and then sustain the same kind of level or performance all the time as a bowler. In the next few years, India are playing 25 Test matches. So you want players like Ashwin to be fresh and ready for that. And yes, when the big tournaments come, obviously we will have to look at how well he is bowling, what’s the right combination needed and take it from there.
The team is looking to develop a wrist spinner. Is this a conscious effort with an eye on the World Cup?
I’m not saying, groom a wrist spinner… We need an attack that can take wickets at any stage – with the new ball, in the middle-overs and at the death. So we have to work out the right combinations; who are the best five or six needed to do that.
Before the Sri Lanka ODIs, chief selector MSK Prasad had said KL Rahul would bat at No. 4. That didn’t happen in every game. What was the thinking behind setting the batting order?
He batted at No. 4 yesterday (fourth ODI). But of course we will rotate. We will see who is the best for which position.
Is it a contest between Rahul and Manish Pandey in the middle-order for that slot?
We will have to see who adjusts best to a particular position; whether it’s four, five or six. We will only realise that probably in about six-eight months time, once equal opportunities are given to a few players.
Where does it leave Ajinkya Rahane?
It’s a good headache. We want players in form. We want players who can strike the ball and win you matches. It’s a good headache when you have Shikhar in great form, Ajinkya in good form, Rohit in good form…
But frustrations might creep in.
They all realise there’s a lot of competition out there. You got to be fit. You got to keep working hard and you never know when your opportunity comes. Look at Shikhar. Six months ago he wasn’t in the side. Then a couple of injuries, he grabs his opportunity, gets the golden bat in the Champions Trophy.
Rohit Sharma had stopped playing the flick over mid-wicket. He has brought it out of the locker in this tournament. Did you have a discussion with him?
No discussion. But yes, we look at finer things in batting and between Sanjay (Bangar) and me, we have spoken to him. And he is an outstanding talent.
Coming to you, during your earlier stint as team director, the team was going through a transition. This time, they had a fantastic home season before reaching the Champions Trophy final. Does it change your methods or style of functioning as a coach?
Not at all. In fact, when I left the job, the team was doing excellently. In fact, when I took the job that was when the team was not doing well. I think they were No. 5 or No. 6 in the ranking. When I left the job they were No. 1. I mean the seeds were sown by us. And then yes, they had a great home season, where they played good cricket and this is just an extension.
If you rewind to when you were appointed, in 2014, how challenging was that?
That was tough. Because it was a young side, it was hammered by England in England. They didn’t have the kind of experience they have now. And then, for them to grow from there and do things which, you know, a lot of teams have not done. They should be complimented. Like straightaway to win a (limited-overs) series in England, overseas, since we are so enamoured by the word overseas, let me start there. To win a series in England after 24 years, it was a terrific achievement for that young team. Then to go to Australia and play the kind of cricket they played – they might have lost 2-0 – but in all four Test matches they gave themselves a chance to win, which we had not seen on two previous tours. Then again, they had a fabulous World Cup. In Australian conditions, they won seven on the trot and lost to the eventual champions. Then they go to Dhaka and win the Asia Cup. We had a good (World) T20; we lost to the eventual champions, the West Indies. So, for me it is, when I take over the job now, the difference is that this team is a more experienced team. And I don’t have to reinvent the wheel, because the hard yards were put in those two years. Now it is to ensure that the team stays on track and they play consistent cricket across all formats.
So basically you worked on the confidence part when you took over first?
Yes. It was basically to get them back on track. Give them the self belief that they are a top team.
The recent emphasis on fitness, it is superseding skill?
There are certain (fitness) parameters put in place and a player will have to fit into those parameters. That’s the fitness part and then the skill element will come. So get that very clear. There are certain parameters and it’s not difficult. If someone doesn’t fit into that, he is really unfit or lazy. If you are aiming to be the best fielding side in the world, you fit into those parameters and then of course the skill element comes into play.
This time around you look fitter than your earlier stint. Is it a deliberate attempt?
I, in fact, was beginning to train. And now when I got with the team, then I said ‘it’s a great opportunity’. Because when I look at this young side, they are all models. They are fit, they are very conscious, their work ethics are excellent, their eating habits are great and that we must thank our trainers and the physios and the support staff who put them through the grind. I said it’s a great opportunity to get myself into shape as well.
