Apart from all these great players, there was a player in the history of Indian cricket who made his debut by batting at number 10 and later became the opener of Team India. That player was none other than former India coach Ravi Shastri. Ravi Shastri was one of the few brilliant players of Indian cricket during the 80s, Shastri played the game on his own terms, and he was only 30 years old when he left cricket. After leaving cricket, Shastri also became the best commentator in the world and even today as a commentator, Shastri remains the voice of Indian cricket.
Ravi Shastri was successful in debuting in Ranji Trophy at the age of only 17. When Shastri was studying in college, he was selected in the Indian team. At that time, he was 19 years old. Shastri played his first Test match for India against New Zealand in 1981 in Wellington. In his debut test itself, Shastri bowled brilliantly and was successful in taking 6 wickets.
Started by batting at number 10, then became India’s openerRavi Shastri started his career as a number 10 batsman. Shastri surprised everyone with his performance in some time. After about 2 years, Shastri started opening for India.
Photo Credit: Ravi Shastri on
Great performance against Australia, England, Pakistan and West Indies
Shastri batted brilliantly against Australia, England, Pakistan and West Indies. As an opener, Shastri scored 7 centuries against these teams with an average of 39.69. As an opener, Shastri scored runs at an average of 56.45 in the Test and was successful in scoring 4 centuries.
6 sixes hit in 6 balls
Shastri also did wonders with his bowling in Tests and took 151 wickets and was also successful in taking 129 wickets in ODIs. Shastri also made the record of scoring the fastest century in first class cricket (in terms of minutes), which remained in his name for 3 decades. Shastri scored a century against Baroda in 1985 in just 113 minutes. In this match, Shastri was successful in hitting 6 consecutive sixes in 6 balls.
When Audi 100 car was won as a prize
He had an amazing performance in the Benson & Hedges Cricket World Championship held in 1985 and was successful in scoring a total of 182 runs in 5 matches. Apart from this, Shastri also did wonders with his bowling and took 8 wickets. Shastri was given the title of Man of the Tournament for his excellent performance. As a reward for the title, Shastri received an Audi 100 car.
Have dated this Indian actress
Shastri was also known for his good looks. This was the reason why he also had an affair with the famous actress of that time, Amriti Singh. However, later both of them broke up.
Became a father in 2008
Shastri had tied the knot with Ritu Singh in the year 1990. In 2008, his first daughter Alka was born, when Shastri was 46 years old.
Was successful as a coach, earned Rs 10 crore per year
Shastri served as the Indian team director in 2007 and 2014, however, he took over the bigger job of head coach in 2017, replacing Anil Kumble, who resigned following differences with then captain Virat Kohli. The Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) comprising Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman had the difficult task of choosing Kumble’s successor, and they chose Shastri as the coach. As a coach, Shastri had a very good rapport with senior stars like MS Dhoni and Kohli. He signed a huge contract of Rs 8 crore per year as the head coach of the Indian team.
During his tenure, India failed to win the ICC title, but under his coaching, Team India emerged as a formidable force in bilateral tournaments, both domestic and overseas, across all formats. Under Shastri’s coaching, the Indian team reached the semi-finals of the 2019 World Cup. Despite not winning the World Cup, his contract as coach was extended. His salary increased by 20 percent and he got Rs 10 crore per year.