Former India head coach Ravi Shastri slammed the critics of the Indian team while saying that he was immensely satisfied with his tenure in an interview with Republic Media Network Editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami on Friday. Shastri will be replaced by Rahul Dravid as head coach.

Lauding the Virat Kohli-led team, he said that they had played cricket far above his expectations. Shastri was appointed as Indian head coach in 2017 and was re-appointed in 2019 with his contract extending up to the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup.

"I am very relieved, I took this job to make a difference. For the team to have achieved what they have today is unreal. I leave this place as a very satisfied man. They were not playing cricket as I wanted them to, they have over-achieved," said Shastri.

Talking about the extreme scrutiny the team and he has faced, Shastri said, "I was judged for 7 years of my life that was under public scrutiny. Time for me to sit on the judge's chair and judge some of these people."

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Shastri also opined on the Indian team’s maiden loss to Pakistan in the recent T20 World Cup 2021 in UAE, reasoning that the Indian team was facing so much ire for its poor T20 World Cup performance because that India worshipped cricket as a religion.

"In India, Cricket is a religion. You win 5 games and then when you lose, pistols and pens come out, and sometimes it's acidic. You just got to take it on the chin. We won so much, people weren't used to us losing. To take the bullet is the job of the coach. You overcome all those hurdles, you don't let it pull you down. You have to ensure the team gives their best. Take criticism along the way and move on," he said.

However, he slammed the criticism of the young Indian team and said: "This was a young team in transition over the last 7 years. Many in the media didn't know the potential of this team. I said that this was the greatest team and knew what i said and they lived up to it. They (media) called my statements bold and bombastic. I have taken the bullet for 7 years".

(Republic media inputs)