Ravi Shastri enjoyed success as Team India head coach during his tenure. The 60-year-old formed a good partnership with former skipper Virat Kohli as their partnership helped reach great success in Test cricket. Team India was a force to reckon with in red-ball cricket as they played dominant cricket in overseas conditions which made them one of the best travelling sides in world cricket.
However, during Shastri’s tenure, India failed to win any ICC trophy in white-ball cricket. India were eliminated in the semi-final from the 2019 ODI World Cup, while they failed to reach the last four in 2021 T20 WC which was his last assignment as head coach.
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In the second ODI between India and West Indies, Shastri was in the commentary box where he said that he asked the selectors to find a suitable backup option for Hardik Pandya who was injury prone in the past couple of years. The former India head coach asserted that India failed to find the player which cost them a couple of World Cups.
“I have always wanted a guy who could bowl in top-6. And with Hardik getting injured, it became a massive problem. And it cost India. It cost India a couple of World Cups. Because we didn’t have anyone who could bowl in the top six. So, that was a liability. We told the selectors, ‘look for someone’. But then, who is there?” Shastri said on FanCode.
Hardik faced a lot of criticism due to his bowling fitness during the 2021 T20 World Cup as a result he took a short sabbatical from cricket after the tournament. He returned to IPL 2022 where he showcased his all-round abilities once again. He scored 487 runs in 15 matches at a sublime average of 487. He also attained bowling fitness and claimed eight wickets in the title-winning campaign. The 28-year-old took the responsibility on his own shoulders and promoted himself up in the batting order at Number 3 and 4 to provide balance in the line-up.
The flamboyant all-rounder got his place back in the T20I series against South Africa and impressed many with his performance with both and ball. While it was the England tour where he made realised everyone how important he is to the Indian team in white-ball cricket.
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