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After being appointed Team India director for the ODI series starting in Bristol on August 25, Ravi Shastri said he was more on a fact-finding mission than teaching batting techniques to a beleaguered outfit. Shastri, a noted TV commentator, was asked to step in as head of India's coaching staff by the BCCI on Tuesday. The Board's reaction came in the wake of India's horrible 3-1 Test defeat in England.
On his role Shastri said, "My brief is to work with Duncan Fletcher and find out why a team that posted a splendid victory at Lord's collapsed in the last three matches. Like the BCCI, I too am eager to find out what went wrong and how it can be set right." (Ravi Shastri: A True All-Rounder on and Off the Field)
When asked if he would consider taking up the job full-time, the former Indian all-rounder was quick not to speculate. (Duncan Fletcher may quit before India-West Indies series: BCCI sources)
"I can't talk about the future because the situation is quite fluid. My first job is to find out what went wrong and file a report to the BCCI. It will be up to the board to act on it and take it forward," he was quoted as saying by the Times of India. (India will lose four-nil in Australia: Glenn McGrath to NDTV)
In 2007, Shastri stepped in as stop-gap coach when India toured Bangladesh. It was not the best of times for the national side. Greg Chappell had just quit as coach after India's unceremonious first-round exit in the 2007 World Cup. Shastri did well to keep the team together and the fact that Bangladesh were the underdogs, helped matters. (Ravi Shastri will re-energise Team India: Sanjay Patel)
While this step taken by the BCCI seems to signal a change in the Team India management, former Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar does not think that Shastri will be able to make an impact right away. In an exclusive interview to NDTV, Gavaskar said one had to be patient to get results.
"I think the fact that they have appointed assistant coaches, who have very real interest in Indian cricket as against commercial interests of some others, will make an impact. Mind you, it won't be an immediate impact. This is not instant coffee. So you just have to be a little more patient," he said.
Unlike 2007, Shastri will have a more challenging role to play. India's morale is currently pretty low after losing the England series. As team director, Shastri will enjoy lot of power as part of the team think-tank, but he is fully aware that power won't the team win any matches. If he is able to lift the team's spirit, make the players believe in themselves once again and inject a sense of urgency to perform, Shastri will probably feel he has done what is required of him.
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