R Sridhar Reveals How Ravi Shastri’s Method Of Working Is Different Than Anil Kumble’s
Jun 28, 2017 at 2:32 PM
The Story:
India’s fielding coach, who has worked in tandem with both Ravi Shastri as well as Anil Kumble, has given an insight on the way the former team director and the coach operated during their respective tenures with the Indian cricket team.
“In the Shastri era, we worked on the same lines. Anil Kumble came he had his own way of doing things. Shastri was somebody who was character-based. He wanted good characters in the team, so he worked on the kind of approach he wanted to take on the field, which carried into the Kumble era as well. Kumble was somebody who wanted to achieve excellence and had his own way,” he said.
Kumble’s highly successful spell with the team ended on a bitter note with the former India skipper stepping down from the post, citing Virat Kohli’s reservations over his style of functioning. On the other hand, Shastri, who was the team director between 2014 and 2016, shared a great rapport with Kohli.
“Two different people cannot be the same. It’s like hand-writing. You and I can’t write the same. The final endeavour is to make sure that what we write is legible. Similarly, each guy wants to achieve the kind of excellence, where they want to take the team. The goal is the same, but it is different ways of achieving the goal,” the former Andhra player said when asked to compare Kumble and Shastri.
Shastri Applies For The Head Coach’s Post:
Shastri, who was overlooked last year for Kumble, has applied for Team India coach’s post. Shastri was in contention last year and was seen by many as the front-runner to bag the job. However, the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), led by Sourav Ganguly, chose to select Kumble, citing Shastri’s failure to attend the interview in person. That had led to an ugly public spat between Shastri and Ganguly and it will be interesting to see whether Shastri gets the role this year.
Moreover, Kohli’s reported liking for Shastri can also pave the way for the latter to become the next India coach. As per reports, Kohli had recommended Shastri to take over as head coach to the CAC prior to Kumble’s appointment.