Ravi Shastri instilled positivity, self-belief and aggression in Indian team, says Sunil Subramaniam

Ravi Shastri and Virat Kohli – the two main gentlemen of Indian cricket, have brought down curtains over their illustrious roles in Indian cricket. While Ravi Shastri’s tenure as the head coach of the Indian cricket team ended with the T20 World Cup, Virat Kohli’s reigns as skipper of the team in the shortest format also saw a full stop.

The Indian team has achieved many highs during Ravi Shastri’s tenure. Two Test series wins against Australia Down Under and two series wins in Sri Lanka, upsetting England’s apple cart in their own backyard and almost pulling it off against South Africa away, have been some of Indian cricket’s top moments under the masterful strategist in Ravi Shastri. It has also seen lows – most notably the absence of an ICC silverware.

In the five years under Ravi Shastri, India have won 24 out of 42 Tests (57%), 53 out of 79 ODIs (67%) and 43 out of 67 T20Is (65%), with an overall winning percentage of 65% across all formats.

The orator Ravi Shastri has, more often than not, put the team in good stead. The way the team bounced back from heart-breaking losses, the way he preps the team up before and after every match, the way he reads the game and convinces the think-tank it was all there to see. The Indian cricket team reached the zenith most of the time and were the team to beat – across continents, across formats, across tournaments.

Former Indian player and team manager Sunil Subramaiam has had the opportunity to work with the two gentlemen from close quarters. The versatile manager was with the Indian team for 120 of 183 internationals with Ravi Shastri and the support staff.

Speaking to Sportskeeda, Sunil Subramaniam said Ravi Shastri transformed the team through best dressing room practices. He elaborated:

“The first two years were an extraordinary period, the best period where there was a future plan, a work culture was formed, the enthusiasm was there. There was enthusiasm from everyone involved. Everyone knew their role, they knew what had to be done and the very idea of what the team wanted to achieve was exciting."

“It was the atmosphere that was built that stands out in Ravi Shastri’s regime. The dressing room was an open one which did not have the senior-junior divide. Everyone was free to talk and voice out their opinions. Once a player became a part of the dressing room, he was among everyone. It felt great to be a part of such a dressing room.”

Ravi Shastri instilled positivity, self-belief and aggression in the Indian cricket team, added Sunil Subramaniam.

Ravi Shastri and Virat Kohli – A well-played partnership

For a team’s success, it is imperative that the captain and the coach stay on the same page and Sunil Subramaniam said Virat Kohli always enjoyed the backing of Ravi Shastri. Although the think-tank had their differences of opinion, a decision, which was once made, was backed to the hilt.

“The captain was backed to the hilt. There were no "yes man" in the Indian cricket team or the dressing room. Communication was never an issue in the Indian cricket team or the dressing room. There was difference of opinions, there were disagreements but once a decision was made, the coach, the captain and the entire team stood together on it. The level of maturity was outstanding.”

Ravi Shastri and Virat Kohli have always stressed the importance of having a good work ethic – a trait that has rubbed on beautifully in the team. Ravi Shastri knew how to talk to his players to get the best out of them. The think-tank never believed in hour-long team meetings as every player knew what was expected out of them. Sunil Subramaniam threw more light and said:

“We never had an hour-long team meeting with Ravi Shastri or Virat Kohli. The team meetings were just about 10 minutes or so. Bharat Arun (bowling coach) and Sanjay Bangar (batting coach) would have a one-on-one with the bowlers and batsmen respectively while R Sridhar (fielding coach) dished out world class drills. Everyone knew their roles to perfection. Everyone showed exemplary work ethic in the net sessions.”

Middle-order woes

Ravi Shastri got the best in business to be a part of the Indian cricket team, however, an ICC Trophy eluded Ravi Shastri and his captain. Sunil Subramaniam explained how a heavy top-order and fragile middle order was exploited at the 2019 World Cup, which turned out to be India’s bane. He said:

“A captain or a coach cannot always be faulted for a disappointing performance. Our system was such that, we couldn’t throw a very good all-rounder in the mix – like a Jacques Kallis or a Richard Hadlee or a Kapil Dev or an Imran Khan. They are not made, they are God sent, in my opinion. We were top-order heavy with Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli. If the top order fails, the middle order was exposed.”

“In hindsight, Ambati Rayudu should have played the 2019 World Cup. He was in great nick in New Zealand and he should have gotten the nod. He would have been our specialist middle order bat. After Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh left, we never had someone who was stable in the middle order. Would we have won the World Cup if Rayudu was in the mix? That’s for no one to say, but he would have been a good addition as a specialist in the middle order.”

Speaking about Hardik Pandya, Sunil Subramaniam said the all-rounder was given the long rope but was best suited for his role at that point in time.

“Hardik Pandya was given the long rope unlike a Vijay Shankar or a Shivam Dube. At that time, Hardik was the best choice at that position. He had even won us a game in England. But it is sometimes harsh on other players to have not been given as many chances as Hardik was given.”

Virat Kohli and captaincy

Sunil Subramaniam lauded Virat Kohli for stepping aside from the captaincy in the shortest format of the game to concentrate on cricket. He said:

“In my opinion, Virat Kohli has called it quits from captaincy at the right time. The best of captains steps down at the right time to focus on their game more and Kohli has done it at the right time.”

With an ICC Trophy eluding Virat Kohli, Sunil Subramaniam opined that it would hurt the batsman more than anyone else but being the mature cricketer Virat is, he wouldn’t let the emotions overflow.

“There will be disappointments. It is a part and parcel of sport. It hurts the cricketer more than anyone else to have not won an ICC Trophy but Virat Kohli is far more matured to not have it affect his game or the team at any point.”

With Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma's era in Indian cricket beginning later this month, the Ravi Shastri - Virat Kohli era will be at the zenith of Indian cricket.