Never point fingers at IPL; see how we can get more out of it

Ravi Shastri debuted for India in 1981. He was 18. A left-arm spinner who batted right-handed, he took six wickets in the Test at Wellington, which India lost to New Zealand, and scored 22 at number 10. Playing alongside the likes of captain Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev must have been a great learning experience for the Mumbaikar. So, when he advocates the need to blood youngsters when the experienced are still around, he has to be taken seriously. After India were defeated at the Oval in the final of the World Test Championship early this month, Shastri, who was in London as a commentator, was the first to say that India has to learn from Australia on making the transition smooth.

- RIYAD MATHEW

Shastri became an opener in 1982, a superstar in 1985, and a permanent fixture in the ODI and Test sides. His exploits Down Under in the summer of 1985—when India won the World Championship of Cricket and Shastri the Champion of Champions award—have been celebrated and written about. But a month before that, he had slammed six sixes in an over against Baroda’s left-arm spinner Tilak Raj in a Ranji Trophy match—and become the first to do so in First-Class cricket after West Indian legend Garry Sobers.

A dodgy knee forced Shastri to retire at 30 in 1992, after which he went on to become a successful and outspoken commentator, Team India’s director, and a much admired head coach for four years from 2017. Though he did not deliver an ICC trophy, he is credited with building a team that beat the Aussies in their own den twice. An astute tactician and keen reader of the game, Shastri is known for speaking his mind, and it was no different in this exclusive interaction with THE WEEK. He spoke at length about Team India’s way forward, the youngsters waiting in the wings, the impact of the IPL, India’s 10-year trophy drought and the upcoming World Cup. Edited excerpts:

Q/ You spoke about how the Australians have been managing players. How should that be done in India? Who should be phased out? Which of the seniors can be kept? And who are the youngsters who should come in?