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Former head coach Ravi Shastri made several surprising remarks about the selection process for the Indian cricket team during and after his tenure as the Men in Blue's coach. The 60-year-old Shastri was the head coach of the Indian men's cricket team from July 2017 till November 2021.
In an interview with ESPNCricinfo, Ravi Shastri made shocking revelations regarding the Team India selection meetings. Shastri stated that he was never invited to the selection meetings during his seven years as the head coach.
"I have zero first-hand experience. In the seven years, I was part of the team, I never went near a selection meeting. I wasn't invited either," said Ravi Shastri when asked about what goes in a selectors meeting. He also felt that as a person who spends a lot of time with the players, he should have been invited to the meetings to know what the selectors are thinking. He also stated that his presence in the selection meeting could have transformed his relationship with the cricketers.
"From my point of view, that's why I thought it's best to stay away, but in the long run, especially when a team is in the rebuilding stage, it's extremely important that a coach who spends a lot of time with the players within the confines of the dressing room can give some valuable inputs," Ravi Shastri was quoted as saying by EspnCricinfo.
He also added, "From what I gather, there were a lot of people over the last 3-4 years inside the selection meetings, who were not supposed to be there. It's against the constitution." However, it is still unclear who exactly Shastri was referring to.
Ravi Shastri had a stellar outing as the coach of the Indian team as they won the famous Border Gavaskar series in Australia not once, but twice in a row. India were also the No.1 ranked test side for a staggering 42 months from 2016 to 2020 under his coaching. The Men in Blue also qualified for the coveted World Test Championship Final for the 2019-2021 cycle under his coaching.
The major trophy when Ravi Shastri was coach is the Asia Cup, which was held in 2018 in UAE. He is also regarded as the man who nurtured India’s fast bowling attack which consisted of pacers like Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, and Mohammed Shami.