In the true guru-sishya (coach-disciple) tradition, Virat Kohli has struck a WONDERFUL TANDEM with team director Ravi Shastri. They rate each other highly and the compliments have flown thick and fast in their respective interviews to various publications. If the two can revive the very best of the times gifted to us by Wright-Ganguly and Kirsten-Dhoni, Indian cricket will be well served.
A generational shift has seeped into Indian cricket at least in Test white sand Virat Kohli has an unenviable task of guiding the team while M. S. Dhoni continues to be at the helm in ODIs. Pertinently, in the longer version, the Indian squad will entirely have Kohli’s unfettered imprint, which can be drastic and dynamic at times — like stepping into the lone Test against Bangladesh at Fatullah with six batsmen and five bowlers while Cheteshwar Pujara got dropped!
REMARKABLY, and in the true tradition of Indian history steeped in the lore of guru-sishya (coach disciple) ethos, Kohli has struck a wonderful tandem with team director Ravi Shastri. The former India captain and a leading allrounder of the 1980's, had to shift from his suited-booted avatar as a television commentator to the rough and tumble of a team environment and cope with the cut and thrust of international cricket. Just like in his playing days, Shastri never flinched when asked to guide the squad as its director during last season’s England tour, ahead of the ODIs. Since then, he has never looked back.
He bonded with the team, dispensed his indomitable spirit and forged a strong equation especially with Kohli. Much later when Dhoni surprised all with his retirement from Tests during the Australia-tour, Shastri was still around to lend a shoulder to Kohli. He didn’t step back when his mentor Sunil Gavaskar criticised the team’s doesn’t-matter-if-we lose-as-long-as-we-try-and-win philosophy.
SHASTRI DUG IN HIS HEELS, vociferously backed Kohli’s men and it seemed a moment that marked another visible shift in the dynamics of Indian cricket over the last two decades.
This story is from the June 27, 2015 edition of Sportstar.
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This story is from the June 27, 2015 edition of Sportstar.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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