When Ravi Shastri was in charge of the Indian cricket team, the team’s fast bowlers became a force to be reckoned with. India’s bowling went to the next level when Shastri and the team’s former captain, Virat Kohli, worked together.
They would often take 20 wickets in away Test matches when they were led by Kohli. India could defend any score in ODIs and T20Is because they knew their pacers would throw fire.
India had a lot of weapons thanks to pace bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami and spin bowlers Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravindra Jadeja. This was a big reason why India dominated world cricket.
But since Shastri’s time in office is over, that spark seems to have gone away. In Tests outside of India, the Indian bowlers have lost defending good enough totals, like 242 in Johannesburg earlier this year and 370 or more against England in Birmingham.
Cracks have become more obvious in T20Is, where India has given up big totals more than once. In fact, India has given up more than 200 runs six times in 2022, which is a big change from when Shastri and Kohli were in charge.
What did Ravi Shastri say?
In response to the worry, Shastri says that India’s bowling has been getting worse and worse recently, and he explains that the management is to blame.
“(Yes) Managing people is the key. These aren’t kids, they’re millionaires, and each has their own way of thinking. How you deal with them is very important. You should know how to crack the whip when to talk to the guy, and on what platform (individual, one-on-one, etc.). That kind of experience can’t be bought and sold on the market. You simply must have it. I believe I got it,” Shastri told Ayaz Memon this at the Mumbai Press Club’s “Meet the Media” event.
India’s fielding has gone down
Shastri said that India’s fielding is another area that needs attention. In addition to bowling, the quality of fielding and catching on the ground has gone down a lot. Shastri thinks that is another reason why India keeps letting the other team score 200 or more runs.
“It’s very important to focus on fitness. We had the Yo-Yo test when I was the coach. It made a lot of people laugh. The test was never a way to pick who would play; it was meant to make the players aware of something. It made a huge difference in how they played and how they moved around the field. What’s worrying is how many times in the last few months you’ve let the other team score more than 200 runs. People will blame the bowling, but the fielding is also to blame,” he added.
Compared to the 2021 T20 World Cup, the 2022 T20 World Cup has a few new faces on the Indian cricket team. With players like Dinesh Karthik, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Harshal Patel, and others taking a step up, the team is looking to end the painful wait for the title of world champions.
Ravi Shastri, the former head coach of India, thinks that after the T20 World Cup in Australia, India will have a “new team.” This is despite the fact that there are still a number of players who are good enough to stay at the top for years to come.
