It is said that Indian skipper Virat Kohli is comfortable with head coach Ravi Shastri because he is his 'Yes-Man'. As per reports, the case was otherwise with former Indian coach Anil Kumble which led to his ouster from the post.
But Kohli recently denied that Shastri agrees to him always. In fact, no one has said 'No' to Virat more than him in his life. “About [Shastri] saying ‘yes’ all the time [to me], that’s the most bizarre thing I’ve heard. I don’t think anyone has said no to me as much as him, honestly," Kohli said in a press conference before leaving to Australia.
"He’s one guy I can speak to and get an honest opinion – if something doesn’t need to be done, he’ll tell you. I’ve made the most changes to my game listening to him [Shastri] than anyone else in the past.”
Shastri has often been targetted for playing no role in the team. He is also called the puppet of Kohli. But the Indian skipper rubbished the claims and said he helps players do well.
“The contribution that he [Shastri] has brought to the table ever since we started building this team is making people believe they belong at this level and I can vouch for it,” he said.
“At a time when we were going through a difficult phase in England in 2014 – he has been the most important factor in helping me get out of my shell. Shikhar in the 2015 World Cup as well, he can vouch for that. To get the best out of the players, I think he’s been the most important factor.”
Lauding Shastri for his man management skill, he added, “A lot of people think we don’t understand the game enough and what needs to be done, that someone needs to literally tell us where the bat has to come from, where the head has to be but I think we have learned those things enough,” Kohli said. “It’s about man-management which Ravi bhai has done brilliantly in the time he’s been with us.”
Kohli also spoke on Shastri been said to have the privilege of a good bunch of players in his coaching tenure. “These are very personal things that happen within the team environment and things that conveniently need to be put out there are put out there. We are not going to take a banner and say, ‘This is what happens in the Indian team.’ As long as the heart is clear, we keep moving forward,” he said.
Kohli said the ultimate goal is to take Indian cricket to a new height.
“He (Shastri) will finish one day, I’ll finish one day but Indian cricket stays here. And we are just contributing to that. No one is here to gain something or dominate, we are all here to fulfill the responsibility of taking Indian cricket forward.”
