Former Indian cricketer Ajay Jadeja said that despite Virat Kohli is the captain of the team, there is one person who has instilled intent in Team India.
Team India under Virat Kohli has been ruthless in all three-formats both at home as well as in away conditions. The 32-year-old is one of the finest leaders going around the cricketing world.
Under his captaincy current Team India is one of the fittest in the world and the fearless attitude of the players has helped the team reach new heights in world cricket.
However, apart from Indian skipper Virat Kohli, one another person has also been one of the main architects responsible for the change in culture that has benefitted the team immensely.
Talking about the same former Indian cricketer Ajay Jadeja said that despite Virat Kohli being at the forefront of Team India, head coach Ravi Shastri is the one who is running the team.
"Ultimately, this team is Kohli's, but he is the one running this team… Ravi Shastri. The intent has been visible, not only today but for the last 3-4 years. There is no change in approach – irrespective of the result. This time remains the same. The difference is the thinking," Ajay Jadeja told Cricbuzz.
Lauding Team India's bench strength, Jadeja said if it was this strong in the earlier days, the management of that time might have got ‘mental disorder’
"That thinking is instilled in this team and this generation too is such. What the players think, the options they have. Players who are in and out, there are so many options that people of the old system would have gotten mental disorder." he said.
Jadeja while recalling Shastri’s aggressive nature of play said that the way the latter thought of aggression, that skill was unique.
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"His style of play – shot-making – was different. But aggression-wise, Ravi was always right up there. His style of batting, his captaincy. The way he thought of aggression, that skill was unique. He was never one to back down," said Ajay Jadeja.
Ajay Jadeja further gave the example of Shikhar Dhawan and said that the latter did not worry about not playing the T20Is against England, and instead showed his worth in the first ODI which reflects that tough mentality Shastri and the guys in Team India have.
"Shikhar Dhawan for example. He’s been playing for the last 7-8 years, and now he is benched and watching the new guys play. Despite that, he came and did his job in the first game, which shows how mentally tough he and the guys in this team are. Players look so content. They are certain what they want and the style in which they want to play," he concluded.
(Cricbuzz Inputs)
