Ravi Shastri
Slow left-arm orthodox | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Batting all-rounder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| National side |
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| Test debut (cap 151) | 21 February 1981 v New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 26 December 1992 v South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI debut (cap 36) | 25 November 1981 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last ODI | 17 December 1992 v South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1979–1993 | Bombay | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1987–1991 | Glamorgan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Source: Cricinfo, 6 September 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ravishankar Jayadritha Shastri (born 27 May 1962) is a former head coach of the India national cricket team and a cricket commentator. As a player, he played for the India national cricket team between 1981 and 1992 in both Test matches and One Day Internationals. Although he started his career as a left arm spin bowler, he later transformed into a batting all-rounder. Shastri was a member of the Indian team that won the 1983 Cricket World Cup.He won C.K Naydu lifetime achievement award at Indian cricket team annual award show NAMAN on 24/01/2024.
As a cricketer, Shastri was essentially defensive with his trademark "chapathi"
The highlight of his career was when he was elected Champion of Champions in the
In domestic cricket, he played for Bombay and led them to the Ranji Trophy title in his final year of playing. He also played four seasons of county cricket for Glamorgan. He was forced to retire aged 31 due to a recurring knee injury. He has done commentary on behalf of BCCI in the matches that India play.[5] In 2014, he became the director of Indian cricket team for a period of eight months from India's tour of England until the 2015 World Cup. On 13 July 2017, he was appointed as the head coach of Indian cricket team.[6] On 16 August 2019, he was re-appointed as the head coach of the senior men's Indian team and remained in charge until the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup.[7]
Personal life
Shastri is of
When not in Mumbai, Shastri lives in
Domestic career
In his last year at the junior college, he was selected to represent the Bombay team in the Ranji Trophy.[11] At 17 years and 292 days, he was then the youngest cricketer to play for Bombay.
An Indian under-19 team was scheduled to tour Pakistan in 1980–81. Shastri was included in the coaching camp at the last minute by the National Coach Hemu Adhikari. Shastri captained one of the two teams in a trial game and was then asked to lead the Indian Under-19 team. The tour, however, was cancelled. The team later went to Sri Lanka, but the games were frequently interrupted by rain.[12]
His only notable achievement in his first two Ranji seasons were bowling figures of 6-61, which he took against Delhi in the 1979–80 Ranji final that Bombay lost. While he was playing against Uttar Pradesh at
The Ranji final of 1984/85 turned out to be one of the finest matches in Indian domestic cricket history. A sleepy Gavaskar won the toss and batted. He could hardly close his eyes before Bombay was 3 down for 42. Batting at No.5, he scored his 20th and last Ranji Trophy hundred and took Bombay to 333. Shastri made 29 before he was bowled attempting to cut an arm–ball. Delhi was in early trouble before they were rescued by Chetan Chauhan, batting with a fractured finger in his last first class match. Ajay Sharma, in his first season, scored a hundred and took Delhi into the lead with nine wickets down.
The rules of the competition specified that in the event of a draw, the team with the first innings lead would be declared the winners. With two days and 100 minutes left, Bombay went for quick runs. A crowd of about 46,000 turned up for match on the fourth day and the organizers ran out of tickets. Shastri top scored with 76 as Bombay set Delhi 300 to win in a day and ninety minutes.
Except for the odd delivery, the ball spun slowly and afforded enough time for the batsmen to play their strokes. Early on the final day, Delhi reached 95 for no loss and then collapsed. His first wicket was Chauhan who was declared out caught behind with the ball having spun across the face of the bat without apparently touching it. The match changed dramatically and the batsmen lost their head. Gursharan Singh was lbw playing no stroke, Kirti Azad played on, Surinder Khanna was stumped after a few slogs. Shastri took 8 for 91; Bombay won by 90 runs. In the 50th year of Ranji trophy, it was their 30th title.[13]
After the tour of Australia in 1985–86, he also began to decline as a bowler. Bombay lost to Haryana in the semifinal of the Ranji trophy but West Zone won the Duleep Trophy. His major contribution was as a bowler in the semifinal against North Zone on a flat wicket at Trivandrum. Like in the Ranji final, North looked the likely winner going into the last day, before he took 8 for 145.
He scored hundreds in the quarterfinal and semifinal of the Duleep trophy, but West Zone lost to South on first innings lead in the latter match. Shastri's only other score over fifty in the season was a particularly dull 125 against Pakistan in the
In 1987, Glamorgan contracted Shastri to play for them. He stayed with them until 1991, with a break in 1990 due to India's tour of England. Shastri's presence did little for the fortunes of the county which finished at the bottom of the first class table in two of those seasons. Shastri topped 1000 runs in 1989 and scored hundreds in both innings against Middlesex. His best bowling performance of 7 for 49 (11 for 90) in the match came against Lancashire in 1988, where he got bounce and turn and was 'unplayable' according to Wisden. The almanack noticed that Shastri was already becoming reluctant to bowl.
1988 was by far the best of the seasons for Glamorgan in one day matches. They finished 5th in the Sunday League – up from 14 in 1987 – and reached the semifinal of the Benson & Hedges Cup. Shastri won the leading six hitter award for the Sunday league matches of 1988 with 14 sixes. He was part of the MCC team that played a Rest of the World team in the MCC bicentennial match at Lord's in 1987.
Bombay breezed through the West Zone league of the 1993–94 Ranji Trophy winning all four matches – a very rare feat[14] – by big margins. With the Test players away, Shastri captained the young team in the knockout matches. Bombay defeated Haryana by an innings and 202 runs in the pre quarter final but ran into trouble against Karnataka in the next round. Against 406, Bombay lost their first six for 174, before Shastri and Sairaj Bahutule added 259 in six hours. Shastri's individual score was 151. Bombay survived the best part of the last day to win on first innings lead. Shastri scored 612 runs in the season and took 17 wickets at 15. Bombay went on to beat Bengal in a low scoring final to lift the Ranji Trophy. It was their first championship since the famous win against Delhi nine years ago.
In September 1994, while in Sri Lanka covering the Singer World Series, Shastri announced his retirement from first class cricket.
International career
Early days
Within eighteen months of his Test debut, Shastri had moved up from tenth position in the
It was the failure of the regular openers
Shastri was not selected to play in most of the important matches in the
The glorious winter
In October 1984,
There were already signals that Shastri was being groomed as a future captain. Indian captain
Around this time, Shastri also began to open the innings regularly in
Shastri's success continued in Test matches against England. In the Bombay Test his 235 run stand with wicket-keeper Syed Kirmani led to victory for India. His 142 improved upon the 139 at Faisalabad as his highest score.
In the third Test at Kolkata, Shastri made 111 in 357 balls and 455 minutes, though his innings was heavily interrupted by rain. With Mohammad Azharuddin he added 214 for the fifth wicket, another Indian record. When India started the second innings late in the final day, he was sent in to open, thus becoming one of the few batsmen to bat on all five days of a Test.
Shastri set another record for Bombay against Baroda in a West Zone Ranji match. His first hundred came up in 72 minutes and 80 balls and included nine fours and four sixes. The second took just 41 minutes and 43 balls. His 123 ball, 113-minute 200* became the fastest double hundred in first class history, beating the previous record by 7 minutes, and included 13 fours and 13 sixes. Six of the sixes came off a single over of the left arm spinner
World Championship of Cricket - 1985
Except for a few series in Pakistan and the 1983 World Cup final, the World Championship of Cricket in Australia was the first time overseas cricket matches were shown live in India. The WCC saw India win every match convincingly. The WCC was conceived as a celebration of the 150th year of the formation of
Shastri had a slow start to the tournament but finished with fifties in the last three matches. Srikkanth too scored three fifties and India posted century opening stands against
For his 182 runs and 8 wickets, Shastri was chosen as the man of the series which in this tournament was called 'The Champion of Champions'. He won an Audi 100 car for his efforts. By the special order of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, Indian customs waived the heavy duty its import would have normally entailed.[19]
Vice-Captaincy 1985
Two weeks later India won the Rothman's cup in
Shastri continued as vice captain to Kapil Dev in the 1985–86 season. This season and the England tour of 1986 were ordinary ones for him. Australia, Sri Lanka and Pakistan toured India in 1986–87. Shastri played a crucial role in the
In early 1987, he presented a 15-minute coaching series which went by the name 'That's Cricket'. This was aired on the national channel Doordarshan on Sunday mornings. There were even rumours of an involvement with actress Amrita Singh.[22]
India lost the final Test at Bangalore to lose the 1986–87 series against Pakistan. Kapil Dev was widely criticised in the media for his captaincy. The selectors retained him as captain in the Reliance World Cup at the beginning of the 1987–88 season. Shastri failed with the bat in the Reliance Cup but formed a successful bowling partnership with Maninder Singh, another left arm spinner. India topped its group but went down to England in the semifinal. Kapil Dev received more criticisms for skying a catch to deep midwicket when a win was still a possibility.
Captaincy issues 1987
About this time, Vengsarkar emerged as the strongest candidate to take over from Kapil. He had had a dream run with the bat, starting from the series in England in 1986. In 1987, the newly established Deloitte ratings (the forerunner of the current LG ratings) ranked him the best batsman in the world. The Indian selectors have conventionally leaned towards making the best player of the team the captain. So before the home series against West Indies, Kapil was sacked and Vengsarkar was made the Indian captain.
Vengsarkar had his left arm fractured in the third Test and Shastri captained India for the only time in his Test career. On an underprepared turning track in Madras, India won the toss and elected to bat first. Debutant Narendra Hirwani took 16 for 136 as India won by 255 runs to draw the series 1–1. Apart from this, Shastri did little with bat or ball. West Indies won 7 of the eight one day matches, he was the captain in six of them. Vengsarkar meanwhile picked up a six-month ban from BCCI for writing newspaper columns. So Shastri continued as the captain for a three nations tournament in Sharjah in April. Sri Lanka and New Zealand were the other teams and India won easily.
Sacking and vice captaincy 1989
India travelled to West Indies in early 1989. Though a failure overall, Shastri played the best innings by either side in the series. It came at
On the way back many of the Indian players took part in an exhibition match in United States. BCCI suspended the players. Though the suspension was later revoked, Vengsarkar was sacked. Srikkanth became the new captain and Shastri, yet again, the deputy. After an indifferent series in Pakistan, both were excluded from the tour of New Zealand in 1990. Azharuddin led an experimental team which a selector called the 'team of the nineties'. Within a few weeks, the phrase got the status of a joke. Shastri was recalled for the tour to England that summer as the vice-captain.
The Indian summer
Shastri's career generally remained a struggle until the England tour of 1990 where he scored two hundreds in the three Test rubber. Opening the innings for India, he began with an even 100 in India's reply to a huge England score at Lord's. It was a hard-working innings and Shastri played and missed often with most of the runs came with his usual flicks and nudges. Towards the end of his innings, he grew aggressive, reaching his hundred by hitting the English off-spinner Eddie Hemmings for two fours and a six in an over, and departed immediately attempting another big hit.
He topped this with 187 at the Oval. Journalist and commentator Harsha Bhogle's description of this innings holds true for many of Shastri's major efforts:[24]
- Watching Shastri bat is like admiring the Qutub Minar; tall, timeless, solid. You admire it for the virtues, not for its style. For nine hours and 21 minutes, he chiselled away the England attack and the sculpture that he left behind represented perseverance and craft. There was the usual stoic, expressionless face under the helmet, but you could see the determination in his eyes as he planted himself at the wicket, struck root and bore fruit.
- Only occasionally, the bat wavered in its resolve but the mind put it on the right path again, almost in admonishment, and the bat grew broader and straighter ... He may never be a Gavaskar, but he at least represents the great man's virtues, even if by proxy. It would be a relief too, to know that he will never throw away his wicket for nobody guards his crease more fiercely.
Following the innings at the Oval, Shastri scored his career best score of 217 in the Irani trophy in the opening match of the Indian season and a top score of 88 on a very bad wicket in the Chandigarh Test against Sri Lanka. He carried his bat for 101* against the same opponents in a one-day match a week later, reaching the hundred with a two off the last ball. Next year in South Africa's first-ever ODI series on their return to international cricket, he scored 109 at Delhi, his fourth and last one day hundred. A series of abandoned tours meant India played few matches at home at this time.
At the end of 1991, India travelled to Australia for a five Test series, to be followed by the World Cup. Channel 9 dubbed it the Indian Summer. The series was a disaster for India – they lost four of the Tests – and was rife with umpiring controversies. But it also saw the final flourishes in the careers of Shastri and Kapil Dev.
Shastri took 5 wickets for 15 runs against Australia in an early match in the World Series Cup. It was then the best bowling figures by an Indian in ODIs. Most of the wickets were gratuitously earned, though – three batsmen were caught on the legside boundary and another stumped. In the third Test at Sydney, he scored his only double hundred in Test cricket, the first by an Indian against Australia. He was dropped in the sixties by the Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne, who was making his debut, off his own bowling. Amidst frequent interruptions by rain, he completed his hundred early on the fourth day and a six off Warne brought up the 150. He finally fell to a tired shot at Warne after nine and a half hours, scoring 206 with 17 fours and the two sixes, thus becoming Warne's first Test wicket.
It was also during this innings that the knee injury that would soon end his career appeared for the first time. India had gone into the match with four pace bowlers and no regular spinners. Shastri was little more than a part-time bowler by this time. By the final day, pitch started taking spin. Shastri took four wickets in the second innings and Australia just about beat the clock to draw the match. India could well have won the match with another spinner.[25][26]
Late career
 | This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (April 2022) |
The remaining
In their second match, India chased 238 to win in 50 overs against Australia. A rain interruption meant that the target was revised to 236 in 47 overs. Shastri took 67 balls for his 25; India went on to lose by one run. He was blamed for the defeat and dropped from the remaining matches of the tournament.
In the next season, South Africa hosted India for their first ever tour. Shastri opened in all four Tests and struggled to score runs. The only bright spot was a 16 ball 27 not out, in India's one day win at Centurion park. He had batted down the order in the one day matches of this series. In reference to the World Cup innings against Australia, he commented later that for once he knew what his exact role was.
India hosted England immediately after the South Africa series. The knee injury returned before the series and put Shastri out of cricket for eight months. He never again represented India in international cricket.
Post-retirement
On 18 March 1990, Shastri married Ritu Singh.
Coaching career
In July 2017 Shastri, the former team director, was appointed as Head Coach for the national side by the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), comprising
Legends League Cricket
In November 2021, Shastri retired from being the coach of Indian National Cricket Team and joined Legends League Cricket, as the Commissioner of the League.[33]
In popular culture
A Bollywood film Azhar released in 2016, directed by Tony D'Souza, revolves around Match fixing scandals in late 90s and 2000 and role of Mohammad Azharuddin in the scandal. Shastri's character was portrayed by Gautam Gulati in the film.[34][35] However, the film portrayed Shastri's character in highly negative light as it depicts him as a Womaniser.[36][37] Due to the negative depiction, Shastri slammed the makers of the film and further said that he has no intentions of watching the movie.[38][39]
The 2021 Indian film 83, which is based on India's World Cup win, features Dhairya Karwa portraying Shastri's character.[40][41]
References
- ^ "Some interesting trademark shots". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 14 July 2001. Archived from the original on 19 August 2003. Retrieved 2 May 2007.
- ^ "Restraint is the essence". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 11 January 2005. Retrieved 2 May 2007.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "10th January 1985: Ravi Shastri Hits-Six-Sixes-in-an-Over"
- ^ a b Raju Bharatan, "Ravi Shastri : Always 'on the ball'", Special Portrait, Indian Cricket 2002.
- ^ "Ravi .Shastri".
- ^ "Ravi Shastri appointed Head Coach". BCCI. 11 July 2017. Archived from the original on 14 July 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
- ^ "Ravi Shastri to continue as India head coach". Cricbuzz. 16 August 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
- ^ "Proud to hail from Mangaluru-Team Indian director Ravi Shastri". "Daijiworld news". Retrieved 18 February 2016.
- ^ "Report of Sanket Chavan improving Shastri's Giles shield record". Mid-day.com. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
- ^ "अलिबागकर असल्याचा अभिमान – रवी शास्त्री". Loksatta (in Marathi). 14 March 2022. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
- ^ a b Javed Akhtar, The Young Veteran, Interview with Ravi Shastri, World of Cricket, April 1986
- ^ Pradeep Vijayakar, Cricketer of the Year article, Indian Cricket 1981
- ^ Ayaz Memon, "Bombay pull off a remarkable win", Sportsweek, 17–23 April 1985
- ^ Indian Cricket 1994
- ^ "Wisden review of India in New Zealand 1980–81". Content.cricinfo.com. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
- ^ Indian Cricket 1983, p.3, in the review of the tour of West Indies
- ^ a b Indian Cricket 1985
- ^ Sunil Gavaskar, One day wonders
- ^ The Age, 19 March 1985[dead link]
- ^ The Age, 14 February 1985[dead link]
- ^ David McMahon, Interview with Shastri, Sportsworld 24–30 April 1985
- ^ "BBC/Indiatimes interview". Cricket.indiatimes.com. 7 August 2005. Archived from the original on 21 April 2009. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
- ^ "Interview with Cricinfo in 1994". Cricinfo.com. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
- ^ Harsha Bhogle, The Joy of a Lifetime : India's tour of England 1990
- ^ Wisden 1992 (accessed 25 June 2005)
- ^ Cricinfo match reports of India in Australia 1991/2 (accessed 25 June 2005)
- ^ Harsha Bhogle, "Howzat ! Ritu Singh appealed and Ravi Shastri walked up the aisle", Sportsworld, 4–10 April 1990, pp. 30-31
- ^ "Up Close With Ravi Shastri". Mangalorean.com. Archived from the original on 14 July 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
- ^ "Shastri, Zaheer, Dravid in India's new coaching team".
- ^ "How does Ravi Shastri's annual salary of Rs 8 crore compare with previous India coaches? - Firstpost". www.firstpost.com. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
- ^ "World Cup 2019: Indian coach Ravi Shastri and his staff to be handed 45-day extended contract after tournament". DNA India. 13 June 2019. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
- ^ "Ravi Shastri to remain India head coach". ESPN Cricinfo. 16 August 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
- ^ "Shastri roped in as Commissioner of Legends League Cricket".
- ^ "Ex Bigg Boss Winner Gautam Gulati to Play Ravi Shastri In 'Azhar'". TheQuint. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
- ^ "Gautam to play Ravi Shastri". Tribuneindia News Service. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
- ^ "Ravi Shastri portrayed as a womaniser in 'Azhar' - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
- ^ "Azhar: Ravi Shastri shown a womaniser, angry with makers of the film". India Today. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
- ^ "Ravi Shastri says he has no intentions of watching 'Azhar'". DNA India. 17 May 2016. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
- ^ "Virat's 'terrific' form can only benefit Indian cricket: Ravi Shastri". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
- ^ "This 'Uri' actor will play Ravi Shastri in Ranveer Singh starrer 83′". Free Press Journal. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
- ^ "83: Ranveer Singh shares first poster of Dhairya Karwa as Ravi Shastri, calls him 'youngest gun amongst the devils'. See pic". Hindustan Times. 22 January 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
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