Dav Whatmore foresees Indian domination under Virat Kohli-Ravi Shastri reign

Ravi Shastri MS Dhoni Virat Kohli India Cricket — Whatmore praised the relationship between Kohli and Shastri as a key ingredient in India's success.

What's the story?

Dav Whatmore, who guided Sri Lanka to the 1996 World Cup triumph as head coach, expects India's golden run under Ravi Shastri's reign with Virat Kohli as skipper to continue and extend to a level of total domination in the sport in the coming years.

After getting the better of Australia and New Zealand at home, India will take on Sri Lanka in their next home assignment and Whatmore is certain that the Men in Blue will emerge victorious this time around as well.

“It is going to be very difficult for Sri Lanka. They couldn’t win at home, how do you think they’re going to win in India? India’s domination will continue," Whatmore said.

The 63-year-old feels that the Indian side have their bases covered in all department and also added that the bond shared by Kohli and Shastri will help the team achieve bigger success in the future.

“It is very important, and everybody will agree, that the captain and coach have a good working relationship. There’s a saying that players make the coach, there’s no question about that.

"The coach stays in the background and it is about the players and that is exactly what Ravi Shastri is all about," Whatmore said.

In case you didn't know...

Ravi Shastri's association with the Indian team at the management level began in 2014 when he was appointed as Team Director following India's disastrous tour of England.

He replaced Duncan Fletcher as head coach of the Indian cricket team following the 2015 World Cup but despite achieving a good success rate in his first year, he was replaced with Anil Kumble in 2016.

However, with Kumble and Kohli failing to get along, Shastri was back at the helm of Indian cricket following the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy.

The heart of the matter

Shastri's second stint as head coach of the Indian team has been a positive one much like his first one and the team looks a vibrant unit with Kohli sharing a wonderful working relationship with Shastri.

The team found success in Sri Lanka and also beat Australia and New Zealand in limited over formats at home and are all set to welcome their neighbours next before heading to South Africa.

Whatmore expects Sri Lanka, who were whitewashed at home in all three formats, to meet a similar fate this time around as well.

Whatmore also weighed in on the debate surrounding MS Dhoni's place in the T20 side claiming that the former skipper still had a lot to offer for the side. While he welcomed the inclusion of more youngsters, he feels that Dhoni's place should not be up for question just yet.

Extra Cover: Ashish Nehra backs MS Dhoni to play in 2020 World T20

What's next?

India will take on Sri Lanka in a three-match Test series beginning November 16 following which the action shifts to the ODI and T20 formats, also featuring three matches each.

India are firm favourites to continue their dominance over Sri Lanka and will be looking to build up more momentum ahead of the big away tour to South Africa.

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Author's take

Whatmore makes a crucial point about the importance a good working relationship between the captain and the coach for a good working environment.

While Kumble's reign did produce the desired results, it was inevitable that either of Kohli or Kumble had to make way for the team to function properly.