Former India head coach Ravi Shastri expressed his displeasure with the intent and performance of those who play for Mumbai, at a recent event. On Sunday, Shastri addressed a gathering as a chief guest at the Police Shield prize distribution function held at Police Gymkhana on Marine Drive. The former Mumbai Ranji Trophy-winning skipper said that Mumbai’s domestic cricketers should ‘respect the game’. He dismissed the casual approach of the players, saying, “I get the feeling a lot of people who play for Mumbai these days take things for granted.”
As per a report in Circle of Cricket, Shastri relayed the mentality of those playing domestic cricket for Mumbai. “They think that when we have a Mumbai stamp, then we will win, but this doesn’t happen,” he was quoted as saying. The 59-year-old mentioned that it is vital that they respect the work ethics, their origins and show up to perform as a team. Shastri reiterated the spirit of Mumbai cricket, saying, “that is the Mumbai cricket team, with pride.”
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The cricket commentator and former captain of the Indian Cricket Team also reflected on the beating Mumbai took when it comes to comparison with the likes of Pondicherry and Himachal. Shastri mentioned that when teams can cruise to the finals without boasting of big names, questions start to arise.
Shastri, whose tenure as Team India head coach came to an end in November with an early exit from the T20 World Cup, asserted his undaunted passion for Mumbai cricket. He said despite the fact he was serving as Team India head coach and travelling around the world and doing television work, he has always kept an eye on Mumbai cricket. This is because he is a proud Mumbai player who plays fair and hard, but likes to win.
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During his playing days, Shastri has led Mumbai as captain. This year, the Shams Mulani-led Mumbai side failed to make it to the knockouts in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. In November, Mumbai had to exit left in the league stage of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy, played under Ajinkya Rahane’s captaincy.
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