Ravi Shastri, team India’s Director, has said that the current side is in the good hands with Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni as both share a good relationship on the field. Shastri also made it clear that Kohli will start his reign as the Test captain against Bangladesh in June this year and Dhoni “The Fox” will head the ODI pack.
In a column for PTI, Ravi Shastri wrote the following stuff:
On Virat-Dhoni relationship:
There is clarity in leadership. This is vital. Kohli starts his reign in Tests. Dhoni the Fox heads the ODI pack. One is not that new. The other is not that old. Ideas can be bounced around. Workload shared. Check-lists compared.
Both share respect. None of them would look over their shoulder. None eyes other’s fruits. No contrary commands. No overlapping. The top six is the same in both formats. This is fluidity, stability. A Swiss watch with hundreds of inter-connected cogs and flywheels, working to perfection. Father Time is never out of step. A good few years of harmony ahead.
On India’s performance on the Australian Tour:
In my view, this tour to Australia was an unqualified success. I’m not biased; I would’ve said the same behind a microphone.
If India was bad, they wouldn’t have 400-plus in each of the four Tests. They would have looked to shut the shop in Adelaide rather than go for that 360-plus target. They would have buckled after hours in sun against a relentless team. In four back-to-back Tests inside a month. There are more instances of finding an all-white penguin in Antarctica than winning visitors in Australia. There is hardly a precedent; very few are around to tell the tale. It’s cricket’s Star-Trek: To go where no-one has gone before. The holy grail.
On India’s Current Test Squad:
I see some serious ambition in these young men. Money they have had aplenty. It’s the respect which moves them. They have areas to improve. All of us do. Some would’ve issues with off-stump; some with playing across the line; some with pull or some who plays too much in the air. Bowlers always want quality, discipline, fitness, new tricks by their side. These boys believe they could improve. And they would. These are strong shoulders India could rely on.
On the Nature of the Game:
The game has changed a lot. But it still is a sport which men of flesh and blood play. Players still worry on their show. They still get the jet lag; they still are exhausted; everyday nets still don’t look an invitation to party. You fret how the world has viewed you today; how media has opined; what kind of fans would turn up at the hotel lobby after a first-ball duck; what’s the official engagement in every other city. Between airport to airport, hotel to hotel, ground to ground, nets to nets is the sameness which could engulf most but the toughest.
One still needs to be smart to fill up his free time.