New Delhi: Ravi Shastri will go down in the history books as one of the best coaches of the Indian cricket team ever. During his tenure, India achieved the number one ranking in Test cricket. Dominated the world of cricket by beating other teams and touched new heights.
His stint as a full-time head coach began in 2017 after a rift between Virat Kohli and the then head coach Anil Kumble.
In an interview with The Guardian, Shastri recalled how his job changed overnight after seven missed calls by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Shastri said that he was doing commentary at the Oval during India’s 2014 tour of England and after he was off-air, the BCCI asked him to take over the next day.
The Indian board even said that they would take care of every other prior commitment and talk to his family as well, but they wanted him at all costs.
BCCI, said, “We want you to take over from tomorrow at any cost.” I told him that I would have to talk to my family and business partners, but he only said that they will sort it out. ‘
The former India coach even joked that he was so short of time that he was in his jeans and loafers even when he joined the Indian camp.
Shastri said, “You will see that even when I got into the setup (during the ODIs), I was still in jeans and loafers. Immediately I changed my job.”
Shastri served as the director of Team India for almost two years and then was officially appointed as the head coach in 2017.
Some of the calls made by Shastri as head coach may be debatable among fans but the positive change he brought in the team is commendable.
(with agency input)