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Ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, starting on 22nd November, Ravi Shastri spoke on Star Sports Press Room about the pressure that Bumrah will face as the spearhead of the bowling attack and as captain for the first Test. He said: “The Aussies prefer to attack the leadership. Whoever the captain is, they train their guns and their spotlights on the captain. If they can bring down the confidence of the captain, they feel that the confidence of the team comes down. The pressure will be on Bumrah—there's no question about that. Any captain coming here will feel the heat, and Bumrah will be the same. But he's a very mature cricketer.'
Shastri added, 'He's a very competitive cricketer. Deep down, let's not forget, he's the best fast bowler in the world at the moment. So, the Aussies know what they're up against. They might want to come after him, but they know he'll come after them as well. The important thing is, if he's calm and gets support from his other bowlers, I think he'll be fine. He'll be absolutely fine. But there's no question the pressure is on him. What I want to see from the outside is that he doesn't over-try because of the pressure of being captain and just sticks to his strengths and bowls as if he's an individual player playing in that team. It's easier said than done, but I think he's mature enough to do it. Yeah, that's something he said in the press conference too.”
Ravi Shastri names India's key spinner for Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25
The former Indian cricketer also named the spinner who will play key role in the forthcoming five-match series. Shastri said, 'I go horses for horses. I go on current form. So, I've not really been in the nets to really know. But if you look at this Test match, the way you're going to start off, I'll be very tempted to still go with Jadeja ahead of everyone else because of what he's done over the years. And then take it from there.”
Don't let outside elements influence you in any way: Ravi Shastri to Gautam Gambhir ahead of BGT
Ravi Shastri spoke about about Gautam Gambhir’s coaching philosophy for the BGT series. Not only this, but he also shared a message to India's new head coach. He said, “I think the first thing would be to be calm. You know, don't let outside elements influence you in any way. Because of that, don't get into a position where knee-jerk reactions happen. I think be calm. Get to understand your players. You will see them in match situations. You will see them in India. You will see them overseas. You will notice what it takes for a player to tick.'
The cricketer-turned-commentator added, 'You will understand situations of a team where a certain player might be better than the other, just because of your understanding of his temperament. These things don't come overnight. It took me some time to understand everyone. Gautam might have seen them from the outside in the IPL. He might have sat with a few players in the dressing room when he played the game. But there are a lot of other players, and they come from different mindsets, different cultures, different parts of the country. For you to dig deep and understand their mindsets would be the most important thing. There could be a player who is an introvert, but if you push him out there and give him the confidence, he could be a match-winner for you. So, understanding those kinds of guys and then making them go out and play in that fashion is key.”
(With inputs from press release)
