Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has been there, and done that. From donning the microphone at the commentary box to his two-year stint as Team Director for India between 2014 to 2016, to taking up the role of India head coach from 2017 to 2021, Ravi Shastri has done it all.
File image of Ravi Shastri. AP
In an interview with The Guardian, Shastri recalled his own experiences, including the moment when he was asked to take over as India’s Director of Cricket back in 2014.
“I had no warning,” said Shastri.
“I was commentating at the Oval during India’s [2014] tour of England and came off air to find six or seven missed calls. ‘Seven bloody calls? What’s happened here?’. [The BCCI] just said: ‘We want you to take over, starting tomorrow, at any cost’.
“I told them I’d have to speak to my family and commercial partners but they just said they would sort all that out. And like that I was straight in from the commentary box. You’ll see when I joined the setup [during the ODIs], I was still in jeans and loafers. Instantly my job changed,” the 59-year-old added.
Shastri further elaborated on his role as director during those two years, revealing that he was asked to ‘hire and fire’.
“When I was the director of the team, it was about diagnosing problems: I was asked to hire and fire, whoever I wanted I could get in and whoever I didn’t could be shown the door. And it was also outlining how we want to play: to be aggressive and ruthless, to up the fitness levels, to get a group of fast bowlers to take 20 wickets overseas.”
“And it was about attitude, especially when playing the Aussies. I told the boys if one single ‘f*** you’ comes your way, give them three back: two in our language and one in theirs,” added Shastri.
Rob will need to speak in detail with Joe Root: Shastri
Former England batter Rob Key, fresh out of the Sky Sports commentary box, became the director of cricket for England last week, and with a big task in hand that includes electing a new Test captain and head coach, Shastri believes Rob will develop a thick skin, as and when he progresses in his new role.
Ravi Shastri believes that Rob Key will have to speak with former skipper Joe Root regarding his experience as Test captain.
Joe Root stepped down as England Test skipper on 15 May following the series defeat to West Indies, and England are in search for a new skipper.
“Rob will have an adjustment period to understand the issues and will need to speak in detail with Joe Root for his experiences as Test captain,” said Shastri, who has represented Glamorgan during his playing days.
“But in my 24 years [commentating], I did not miss a beat or a ball of Indian cricket. And he will have covered a huge amount too. So you’re not lagging behind by an inch, you’re abreast of what a team requires but also what other teams are doing. You should be able to leapfrog over all those early issues and get into the nitty gritty straight away,” he added.
Shastri was of the opinion that Rob would develop a ‘thick skin’ as his job progresses.
“I had a thick skin, thicker than the leather of the Dukes ball you use. A real solid hide. And you need a bloody hide over here. Rob will develop this as he does the job, because every day you are judged. “
Rob Key, hailing from London, has led English county side Kent in 82 matches, where he has won 46 of those, with a win percentage of 58.02. Shastri felt that his vast captaincy experience during his time at Kent was an added advantage, primarily because of the importance of communication with the players.
“I am glad he has a lot of captaincy experience from his time at Kent, because communication with the players is paramount,” added Shastri.
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