Sports
Ravi Shastri says India to produce its best cricket team soon
New Delhi: Newly-appointed coach Ravi Shastri today said the current Indian cricket team, with a battery of pacers at its disposal, can go on to become the country’s best-ever Test outfit in the coming years.
Shastri was yesterday appointed coach, filling in the void left by Anil Kumble’s resignation last month.
The 55-year-old former skipper sounded upbeat about the times ahead.
“It can be a better Test team than any Indian team we have had. This is a team you can travel with (anywhere). There is a battery of pacers which can do well in all conditions and take 20 wickets. Their age is such that they are playing at the right time,” Shastri told ‘India Today’ from London.
He said skipper Virat Kohli was yet to reach his peak and that the next few years will define him in the true sense.
“Kohli is a champion cricketer, he has not yet reached his peak. The next five or six years will define the real Virat Kohli,” Shastri said.
Asked about seasoned campaigners Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh’s future, Shastri said, “2019 (World Cup) is a long way to go. They are both champion cricketers. We will deal with it when the time arrives. I am just getting into the dressing room again, so I need to spend time with the captain (Kohli) and take things forward.”
Shastri said he was looking forward to the challenge of coaching India.
“I have always relished a challenge and I am looking forward to my stint with India. When you are asked to open the batting in overcast conditions, it is a challenge. I am used to challenges, bring on another one,” Shastri said.
Asked about his frosty relationship with Sourav Ganguly, a member of the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) that appointed the coach, Shastri played down the bitter spat.
“We are both former captains and there will be arguments, but we need to look at the bigger picture. He (Ganguly) asked some very good questions during my interview. We need to move on. Individuals don’t matter, and we should all work in the best interest of Indian cricket. It should take the centre- stage.
The left-handed batsman from Haryana is garnering praise from all quarters for the way he’s finishing games regularly in the most exciting IPL season.
Gavaskar reckons Tewatia’s whirlwind knock in Sharjah (in IPL 2020) where he smashed West Indies pacer Sheldon Cottrell for five sixes in an over, gave him the confidence that he belongs to the big stage.
Speaking on Cricket Live on Star Sports, Gavaskar said, “That assault on Sheldon Cottrell in Sharjah gave him the belief to do the impossible and the confidence that he belongs here. We saw the impossible (he did with the bat) the other day as well. There’s no twitching or touching the pads (which shows a batter’s nervousness) when he bats in the death overs. He just waits for the ball to be delivered and plays his shots. He’s got all the shots in the book, but most importantly his temperament to stay cool in a crisis is brilliant.”
Gavaskar has also nicknamed the 28-year-old cricketer the ‘ice-man’ and lauded Tewatia’s ability to remain unruffled during the tense moments.
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