Featured – 5 Players Who Will Be Impacted With Ravi Shastri’s Appointment As Head Coach
Jul 16, 2017 at 8:10 PM
In any walk of life, a drastic change in the leadership, administration or regime, is bound to have great repercussions for the long term horizon. In a sport like cricket, a change in the support staff or coaching department can mean several alterations to the style in which a team functions. Now that Ravi Shastri is set to be named as India’s next coach, taking over from Anil Kumble, there will be clear changes coming to the fore.
Shastri’s appointment will be welcomed by a few individuals, who were backed tremendously by the former Indian all rounder. However, on the other side of the coin, there would be a scenario where Shastri’s presence could potentially hinder the functioning of a few integral members.
Thereby, below we have a look at five such names who will be impacted by Ravi Shastri’s appointment as the next Indian coach.
- KL Rahul:
It is no mystery that Shastri shares a father like relationship with the young Indian batting sensation. It was under Shastri’s mentoring that Rahul made his international debut in Australia and soon emerged as the next batsman to watch out for, with attractive tons in Australia and Sri Lanka. Rahul as of now, is desperate to get back to full fitness and burst into the other two forms of the game as well, having already cemented his place as the first choice Test opener. With Shastri around, who rates Rahul tremendously, the Karnataka star could well be favored for a slot in the other two forms. Talent wise, he definitely has everything to make it large in all formats.
- Yuvraj Singh:
Moments after he was named the next Indian coach, Shastri dropped enough hints, that he was in plans to build a young and emerging team for the next World Cup. When asked about the veteran Yuvraj Singh’s future with the team, the former team director diplomatically mentioned that a call would be taken upon that. Upon analyzing, it’s evident that Yuvraj could well find himself out of the reckoning once Shastri takes over. Given his earlier tenure as the side’s team director, Shastri will surely prefer the younger lot, comprising of Manish Pandey and KL Rahul, instead of Yuvraj Singh, who currently is in the twilight of his career. It shouldn’t come as a surprise if India’s biggest match winner is dropped in the near future.
- Manish Pandey:
Manish Pandey’s case is extremely similar to that of Rahul, as both came in, and flourished immensely under Shastri’s tenure with the side. It was Pandey’s match winning knock of 104 at Sydney in January 2016, which saved India from an ODI series whitewash Down Under. Regarded as one of the most gifted batsmen in the Indian domestic circuit, Pandey should find his way back into the team once Shastri takes over. The outspoken former all rounder has always rated Pandey highly and was even a part of the Indian XI which lost to West Indies in the semi final of the 2016 World T20 in Mumbai. Pandey would make a strong case for himself in that middle order, once Shastri is back.
- Cheteshwar Pujara:
There aren’t any prizes for saying that Shastri’s isn’t the biggest backer of someone as solid as Cheteshwar Pujara. During his tenure with the side as the team director previously, Pujara was axed in Australia following a run of low scores and replaced by Rohit Sharma for the Test at Sydney. The trend continued in the one off Test in Bangladesh and the first two games in Sri Lanka. Only after the regular openers were ruled out, did Pujara find a spot in the XI, and he grabbed it with both hands with a match winning knock of 145* on a treacherous Colombo track. Thereby, one can deduce that with Shastri around, there will be no complacency for Pujara in the future. A few failures or a string of low scores on an overseas trip, and he could well be dropped for other batsmen in the ranks.
- MS Dhoni:
Regarded as one of the most prestigious players to play for India, MS Dhoni holds a high value in the eyes of Ravi Shastri. Being the shrewd man manager he is, in the recent past Shastri has spoken quite highly of Dhoni’s presence in the playing XI, and reiterated the fact that his presence in the camp alone is a massive asset for the side. Hence, with Shastri and his administration at the helm of affairs, Dhoni could well be backed for the 2019 World Cup, as the former Indian skipper is perceived to be someone of extremely high value.