Ravi Shastri’s appointment as the Director of Team India till the 2016 T20 World has evoked mixed reactions. While the critics of Shastri question his methods of aggression, a few feel that a person as stern as him is apt to guide the young Indian team through. Rajiv Shukla, a senior figure within the BCCI strengthened Shastri’s case with his latest statement.
Shukla said that the current crop of players were very happy with the work culture of Ravi Shastri. “Basically, the coaching job is done by Ravi Shastri and he has been asked to continue till the World T20. Shastri has been entrusted with the job and the players are also happy with him. I think he is doing a very good job and he can continue,” IPL chairman Shukla told mediapersons on the sidelines of the HIL auctions.
“If anything needs to be done, the advisory committee comprising Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman will be taking a decision what exactly should be done,” said Shukla.
Shastri’s work ethics were recently praised by former India batting great Sunil Gavaskar, who said that the aggressive ways of Ravi Shastri were doing the trick for team India.
Shukla also opened up about the controversial Indo-Pakistan bilateral ties. “Right now, I can’t say anything. There are some issues and these issues have to be sorted out. Once these issues are sorted out then only we can think about it. Our policy is that bilateral matches should be played in each other’s soil. Still that’s our focus. For these, we need to take the permission of the government also because the security issue is also there,” he said.
Shukla like always defended the integrity of the IPL by saying that an event as massive as the IPL was bound to attract controversies. “When you start something controversies and allegations are bound to be there. IPL is a big event. People watch IPL all over the world as it is being telecast in 152 countries. So there is bound to be some issues. But the question is if there are issues or allegations how quickly corrective steps are taken and how tough steps are taken. That is important. We at BCCI are taking strict action if such cases are brought to light,” the Congressman said. “We can’t look at what a person is doing in his room, what a person is doing in the confines of his house. We can’t keep surveillance on people.”