Ravi Shastri tweets about India’s unique connection with 36
Team India coach Ravi Shastri on Wednesday pointed out the unique connection between the number 36 and the Indian cricket team.
The Indian team were all out for 36 in Adelaide against Australia. However, the relationship between the team and 36 goes well beyond that.
Taking to his official Twitter account, Ravi Shastri posted a picture holding a trophy and wrote about how there are too many 36s associated with Indian cricket. The Indian coach’s tweet read:
“Ha... Too many 36's. Six 6s mine. Team 36 Adelaide. One day number 36. Gavaskar 36. @YUVSTRONG12 six 6s. Could be more…”
While the Indian Test team was all out for 36 in Adelaide, Ravi Shastri was involved in another 36 during his playing days, a memorable one.
He hit six sixes in an over in a domestic game for Mumbai against Baroda on January 10, 1985.
Further, India legend Sunil Gavaskar scored an infamous 36 not out from 174 balls in the first match of the 1975 World Cup against England at Lord’s in London.
India were chasing 335 to win the contest after Dennis Amiss’ 137. They managed 132 for 3 in 60 overs, slow even by modern-day Test standards. Till day, critics and fans are puzzled over the Little Master’s snail-paced knock.
Moving on to happier memories of 36, former India batsman Yuvraj Singh hammered Stuart Broad for six sixes in an over during the 2007 T20 World Cup clash against England in Durban.
Incidentally, Ravi Shastri was on commentary when Yuvraj slammed 36 runs in the over. This was the first instance of a player hitting six sixes in an over in a T20I match, a feat only recently matched by West Indies’ Kieron Pollard.
We might field two playing XIs: Ravi Shastri on Team India’s bench strength
Ravi Shastri, in a recent interview, claimed that India’s bench strength has become so strong that they could possibly field two playing XIs in the future.
India won the Test series Down Under despite most of their key players being injured, as the fringe players raised their game. Speaking to the Times of India, Ravi Shastri stated:
“You’d have never imagined the number of players that would’ve played for India six months ago. This has been the most positive thing to come out of the recent bubble (in Australia), considering India had to travel with enlarged squads. Normally, we would travel with 17 or 18 cricketers. But because of the bubble, because of the quarantine laws (in Australia), we had to go with 25-30 or more cricketers. So, as a result, you had to dig deep and pick your best.
“As luck would have it, we were left with no choice but to play all 30 of them. So, we got to find out who’s good and who’s not. And it’s something that has worked well. India might as well field two playing elevens out there,” he further added.
Having clinched the recently-concluded Test series 3-1 against England, India are now preparing for the five-match T20I series, starting on March 12 in Ahmedabad.