“They came back to the very guy they threw out” - Ravi Shastri reflects on being named head coach months after being asked to leave
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has admitted that he was hurt when he was asked to quit in 2016, after being appointed as the director of the Indian cricket team two years ago.
Shastri was given the post of Team Director following India’s disastrous tour of England in 2014. However, he claimed he was asked to leave without being given a reason as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) appointed Anil Kumble as the new head coach.
Reflecting on the move to sack him, Shastri said that while he was hurt, he decided to go back to doing commentary on television. Looking back at his stint with the Indian team, the 59-year-old told Times of India in an interview:
“In less than two years after I was asked to set aside my broadcast career, leave everything else and join the team, I suddenly found myself out for no reason. I had sown the seeds and the fruits were beginning to show and out of nowhere I came to know I was being replaced. Nobody told me why. Yes, more than anything, it hurt because of the manner in which it was done.”
Shastri added:
"For all that I had contributed, just on one word from the BCCI, there were better ways to let me know "Oh look we don't want you, we don't like you. We want somebody else - if that was the case. Anyway, I went back to do what I do best - which is television.”
Kumble’s stint as Team India coach, however, was a very short one. Kumble stepped down in June 2017, following India’s loss in the Champions Trophy final. The legendary spinner stated that differences with skipper Virat Kohli had seen his position become ‘untenable’. Shastri was then appointed as the new Team India coach.
Now that the penny has dropped…thank you so much for making me part of this incredible journey. Memories that I will cherish and a team that I will continue to back till the time I’m able to watch the sport #TeamIndia @imVkohli @ImRo45 @ajinkyarahane88 🇮🇳🙏🏻
Speaking about his appointment, Shastri recalled:
“Around nine months passed, and I didn't even have a clue that there was anything wrong inside the team. I mean, what could've been wrong? I was told there was a real problem and I said - how can there be a problem in nine months? The team that I had left was in such a good space. How the hell in nine months could something go that drastically wrong?"
The former Indian all-rounder continued by saying:
“During my second stint, I came after a huge controversy. And it was literally egg on the faces of those who wanted me away. They opted for someone and nine months later, they came back to the very guy they threw out.”
Shastri’s stint as Team India’s head coach ended following India’s early exit from the T20 World Cup 2021.
“They didn't want to give me Bharat Arun either as the bowling coach” - Ravi Shastri
To win at @HomeOfCricket as a player and coach is something very special. Thanks a ton guys for making it happen. Enjoy the moment #TeamIndia 🇮🇳 #ENGvIND https://t.co/w341MD78y5
After coming on board as Team India's head coach, Shastri picked former India pacer Bharat Arun as bowling coach and R Sridhar as fielding coach. He, however, revealed that his selection of Arun as bowling coach was opposed.
Shastri recalled:
“Yes. They didn't want to give me Bharat Arun either as the bowling coach. And looking at how things pan out - the very guy they didn't want as the bowling coach went on to become the finest this country has ever had. And I'm not pointing any fingers at people in general. Specific people. I must say an attempt was made to ensure I don't get the job. But such is life.”
Along with Shastri, Arun and Sridhar’s coaching stints with the Indian team also came to an end after the T20 World Cup 2021.