Former cricketer Ravi Shastri had a great tenure as the India head coach. During his stint, the team won many overseas Tests, most notably 2 consecutive series down under, while also achieving the number one rankings in the longest format.

His tenure came to an end after the Men in Blue’s exit from the T20 World Cup group stage late last year.

Shastri's otherwise stellar tenure, meanwhile, was devoid of an ICC trophy. India lost to New Zealand in the World Cup semi-final of 2019 and to the same team in the 2021 World Test Championship final. 

After failing to defeat Pakistan and New Zealand, then-captain Virat Kohli and his team were eliminated from the T20 World Cup in the UAE last year.

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The 60-year-old recently discussed why India haven't been successful in ICC events, focusing on the absence of a quality all-rounder in the playing XI with Hardik Pandya getting in and out of the team due to injuries.

“I have always wanted a guy who could bowl in top-6. And with Hardik getting injured, it became a massive problem. And it cost India. It cost India a couple of World Cups,” he said on FanCode.

“Because we didn't have anyone who could bowl in the top six. So, that was a liability. We told the selectors, ‘look for someone’. But then, who is there?” he added.

During the 2018 Asia Cup, Hardik had a back injury, which he battled for the next three years.

Hardik had fully recovered by the time of the IPL and the 2019 World Cup, but after those events, the ailment returned, after which he underwent surgery in October 2019.

The 27-year-old, however, has been in the form of his life with both bat and ball lately. In IPL 2022, he amassed 483 runs while also picking eight wickets in the tournament.

He will rejoin the team for the T20I series but has been rested for the current ODI series against West Indies.

(FanCODE INPUTS)