Dubai: India may not have had the campaign they would have hoped for, yet they finished on a high as they hammered Namibia by nine wickets on Monday. It was the last game as Team India head coach for Ravi Shastri and hence he gave an inspiring dressing-room speech for one last time. Hailing one and all, Shastri confessed that the team had exceeded expectations and reckoned that the Kohli-led side will go down as one of the greatest sides ever.
“You guys as a team have over exceeded my expectations with the way you played. Over the last few years, you go across the globe, across all formats and beat everyone makes you one of the great teams that has played the game. A great Indian cricket team, hear me out. This will go down as one of the great teams that has played the game over the last 5-6 years across all formats because the results are there to be seen,” Shastri said while speaking on BCCI.tv.
Accepting that the ICC trophy eluded them, Shastri reckoned the experiences would have made the players wiser.
He added: “Yes, we didn’t have a great tournament. We could have won 1 or 2 ICC tournaments, but it didn’t happen. But that is sport, you’ll get another chance. You’ll be wiser, you will have more experience when the next opportunity comes.
Meanwhile, a new-look Indian team will take on New Zealand in a home series. Rahul Dravid would be in charge of the side, while the announcement on who will lead India may happen soon. Rohit Sharma is the frontrunner to succeed Kohli.