I Was Disappointed When I Wasn’t Picked As the Coach in 2014: Ravi Shastri
Sep 13, 2017 at 6:25 PM
After much debate, Ravi Shastri was chosen as the coach of the Indian cricket team on 11th July 2017, and since then this decision made by the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) has received mixed reactions. Shastri replaced Anil Kumble to become the coach of the team. Kumble stepped down from the post two days after the conclusion of the Champions Trophy in which India lost to Pakistan in the final.
However, Shastri revealed that he was unhappy when he was not picked as the coach of the team in 2016 and was replaced by Anil Kumble. He said:
“I was disappointed when I wasn’t picked as the coach in 2016.”
Shastri was appointed as the team’s director in 2014 during India’s tour of England. India lost the five match Test series 3-1 with only the Lord’s Test win being India high point in the Test series. Shastri also helped India reach the semi-final of the 2015 World Cup which India lost to the eventual winners Australia.
In June 2016, Shastri was overlooked for the post of head coach of the national team and was replaced by Anil Kumble. This decision left Shastri disappointed as he had done well with the team before being dropped. However, Kumble had a decent stint as the coach of the Indian team. He helped India reach the final of Champions Trophy. But, some of the players had a breakdown with him, and his relation with Kohli had also deteriorated with time.
Shastri was chosen as the coach of the team after the Champions Trophy in July. Although he had some stiff competition from the likes of Tom Moody and Virender Sehwag, Shastri passed the selection processed with flying colours. Shastri revealed that the dressing room had a happy bunch of players when he was chosen as the coach.
He said:
“When I came back, there were smiles everywhere in the dressing room. The nucleus of the players is very much same as what it was when I was there. There was no trust factor in the dressing room but that changed quickly.”
He also employed his former coaching staff of Bharat Arun, R. Sridhar, and Sanjay Bangar. He added:
“I believe in continuity and that’s why I got the same support staff back.”