Ravi Shastri signed off as India's head coach with the conclusion of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 in UAE last month.
Under his coaching stint, India created history by winning the Border-Gavaskar Trophy twice in Australia. They were leading 2-1 in the Test series against England, which ended prematurely due to the COVID-19 outbreak in the visiting camp.
India also won the white-ball series in South Africa, New Zealand, England, and Australia with Shastri at the helm. Touring West Indies, they beat the hosts in shorter formats and also whitewashed them in a Test series for the first time.
In a recent interview with the Times of India, Shastri reflected on his coaching tenure, saying the Indian team achieved success under him even though there were people around him who wanted the side to fail.
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“There was always a lot of negativities around but luckily, I had no time for all of that. But those who know me well will know what a thick-skinned guy I am for such things to affect me.
“The more I saw people getting jealous of what this team kept achieving, the more I laughed at their insecurities. The more some people wanted this team to fail, the better we did,” he told TOI.
Shastri, who was appointed as head coach in 2017, also opened up on the moment when he decided to quit.
“Later, sometime before we left for England this year, I had made up my mind to move on. What precipitated it was a couple of reasons. First, I was pushing 60 and there were these Supreme Court rules and all.
“Second, I knew the quarantine and the bio-bubbles won’t go anywhere for another two years. Cricket will be played in isolation and that’s what we’re seeing right now too.”
“So, I said enough. For how long will this carry on,” Shastri said.
Team India enjoyed a great across all formats under Ravi Shastri, but they couldn’t win an ICC tournament. While the Virat Kohli-led side lost to New Zealand in the semi-final and final of ODI World Cup 2019 and World Test Championship (WTC) 2021, they got knocked out of the T20 World Cup 2021 from the group stage.
