"Vo sab bhaad mein gaya yaar!"- Ravi Shastri on Virat vs Rohit debate
Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri had a no-nonsense reply to rumors of a rift between Team India stars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. The duo have arguably been the biggest match-winners for the Men in Blue over the past decade and often their fans have heated debates about who is the better batter.
There have also been reports in the past of the duo not being on good terms with each other. However, Ravi Shastri feels all of that is a 'mess' created by the media and fans and that everything was always fine between the two stars.
Speaking to journalist Vimal Kumar on the latter's YouTube channel, here's what Ravi Shastri had to say:
"(On Virat vs Rohit debate) Vo sab bhaad mein gaya yaar! Vo sab tumlog ke liye timepass hai. (Let all that talk go to hell! That's just a time pass for you guys). Everything is fine, they are making century partnerships, and you guys are making a mess. All these are petty things for me and I don't waste time on such things."
Loved working with the newer generation: Ravi Shastri
Ravi Shastri also spoke about how he managed to build a connection with players of a completely different generation than of his own. He is known for his brilliant man-management and here's what he stated about it:
"You don't need to change at all as a person to interact with the newer generation. You should continue being who you are. I loved working with this generation for seven years and they kept me young."
Shastri always rated Virat Kohli highly and the duo shared a great camaraderie when the former Indian captain was at the helm. The former coach feels that Kohli's 82* against Pakistan was certainly one of his best-ever knocks. He added:
"I think for him, it will definitely be one of his finest T20 innings because the match against Pakistan on the big stage was tricky. And to score runs in that situation is a big thing. So the world has seen it and even he himself will rate it high."
Shastri was also a part of the commentary panel during India's tour of New Zealand.