Ravi Shastri Has Done So Much for Indian Cricket, It's Overshadowed By Idiotic Trolls: R Sridhar

Not too long ago, there was a trending hashtag on social media calling for India to sack coach Ravi Shastri following India's 36 all out, their lowest ever Test total, that led to a loss in the first Test against Australia in Adelaide. Shastri was blamed - and trolled - for letting out team combination details to Ian Chappell over a drink, Indian batsmen's supposedly poor technique in foreign conditions and every issue the Indian team had. There were 'alcohol memes' and taunts about his personality, even physique.

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One month on, Shastri is one of the heroes of a sensational tour, having played a huge part in India winning 2-1 despite losing key players throughout the series. While shastri's man management skills have come to the fore, it's also emerged that his tactical inputs too have played a big part.

A few examples: In the interaction between R Ashwin and R Sridhar in the former's YouTube channel summing up the series, the duo talk about how Shastri made Ashwin bowl early on Day 1 of the Melbourne Test to use the moisture on the wicket. Ashwin came on in the 11th over, and snapped up Steve Smith for a duck.

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In the same video, Sridhar talks about how Shastri & co make a 'masterstroke' by replacing an outgoing Virat Kohli with Ravindra Jadeja, resisting the tempation to bring in an extra batsman in the backdrop of the 36 all out.

Another example: In his press conference after reaching India, bowling coach Bharat Arun spoke about how Shastri had called him as early as July 2020 to plot Australia's downfall by cutting out run scoring opportunities on the off side.

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Will all this lead to a change in perception about Shastri the coach? Here's what fielding coach R Sridhar told Cricketnext.

"First of all, Shastri doesn't care about what people think. Ravi Shastri doesn't care one bit what people write about him or think about him. With Ravi Shastri, what you see is what you get. This is not the first series where his inputs have been invaluable to the Indian team. He's always been one of the best observers, it's outstanding," Sridhar told Cricketnext.

"We are also very very blessed to have Bharat Arun with us, he is one of the best readers of a cricket pitch I've ever seen. He can read pitches to perfection. In Jamaica, he said the ball would turn. We were like 'what are you saying paaji, turn in Jamaica?'. He said you wait and watch, the pitch will turn on the third and fourth days. Eventually in that match, Jadeja was unplayable.

"His knowledge of soil, grass, the way pitches are prepared across the world is outstanding because he has himself made grounds and pitches in Chennai in those days. So he has extreme knowledge of soil, ground and grass. Combine that with Shastri's cricket acumen, we have a potent force there in terms of tactical decisions.

READ FULL INTERVIEW HERE

"Shastri's inputs have always been invaluable for the team. It's just that it has come to the fore in this series because the result is extraordinary and history has been achieved especially at the Gabba. He has been one guy who has always backed the players, made them feel good and given very very inputs. So many times he has given inputs about where to stand for batsmen, how to counter angles, which guard to take for which bowler... Virat has openly admitted once that Shastri asked him to stand a few steps in front of the crease. Vihari too said Shastri made subtle changes that helped him play well in West Indies. So many batters have benefited.

"We all praise Pujara. In Birmingham, Pujara had technical issues. He was rested for one match. Everyday he took Pujara to the nets, worked on his stance and everything. Pujara played from the next Test and he went on to get a century in Southampton.

"So, Shastri has done a lot for players. People just fail to see... all this is overshadowed by idiotic trolls that come.

"I can go on and on and on about what Shastri has done just in his tenure as coach. Apart from that, it shouldn't take a win of this magnitude to recognise Ravi Shastri's contribution to Indian cricket. He has been at every step to develop Indian cricket."

• Bharat Arun
• Hanuma Vihari
• india coach
• R Sridhar
• Ravi Shastri
• Ravindra Jadeja
• virat kohli