Wasim Akram has paid rich tributes to the outgoing India head coach Ravi Shastri whose tenure came to an end with the team’s early exit from the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 in UAE. Shastri was appointed as the coach in 2017 and his tenure lasted just over four years during which the team became a powerhouse across formats.
Addressing his pal Shastri as ‘Shaz’ with whom the Pakistan legend hosted the popular ‘The Shaz and Waz Show’, Akram urged him to return to the commentary box.
“Perfect finish for a champion like Virat Kohli as India’s T20I captain. He has been a terrific leader in all three formats," Akram wrote on the microblogging website Koov. “But even on the final day we saw his leadership as he let Surya finish the job which he could have done so easily against Namibia. Credit also due to Namibia for they performed. But my heart goes out to my friend Shaz, well done. Come back to the comm box buddy."
During ‘A Sports’ show, Akram, widely regarded as one of the finest fast bowlers to have played the game, praised Shastri for his man management, praising his work with the Indian national cricket team.
“My good friend, Shazzy. It was your last tournament as coach and I think you’ve done wonders in the last three years," Akram said. “We spoke about him before. I think he was brilliant as far as man management was concerned. At that level, you don’t need too much coaching, you need management and Ravi was good at it. I wish him all the luck and I am sure, he will do wonders in commentary. He was missed."
While it’s anybody’s guess whether Shastri will next do, Akram feels that the former India allrounder may end up coaching an IPL team.
“I think he has got the bug now. Three years with the Indian team and now I’m hearing that he might get the coaching gig with the new IPL team, the Ahmedabad one," he said.
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