Dubai, May 17 – Former India head coach Ravi Shastri believes that Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant are the most suitable candidates to take over the Test captaincy for India, citing their leadership experience in the Indian Premier League and their ideal age profiles. As per agency report, Shastri expressed concern over the possibility of Jasprit Bumrah being burdened with captaincy duties, despite acknowledging him as an outstanding leader in the traditional format of the game.

Shastri explained that Bumrah would have been a clear choice for the role following the Australia tour, but he does not endorse the idea due to the pacer’s history with injuries. He emphasized that appointing Bumrah as captain could risk losing him as a bowler, which would be a significant blow to the team.

With Rohit Sharma recently announcing his retirement from Test cricket, selectors are now faced with the task of appointing a new captain ahead of India’s five-match Test series against England, scheduled to begin on June 20. Bumrah had previously sustained a back injury during the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Sydney, which sidelined him for nearly three months and also kept him out of the Champions Trophy.

Now 31 years old, Bumrah has made a return through the current IPL season, where he has claimed 13 wickets in eight matches. However, Shastri stressed that the intensity and physical demands of IPL matches, which require just four overs of bowling, are vastly different from the demands of Test cricket, where bowlers may need to deliver 10 to 15 overs in an innings. He warned that the mental strain of captaincy, combined with the physical workload, could be detrimental to Bumrah’s long-term performance.

Shastri further suggested that age and longevity should be key considerations when selecting a new captain. Gill, at 25, and Pant, at 27, both represent the future of Indian cricket and offer long-term potential. Gill currently leads Gujarat Titans, while Pant, known for his aggressive batting and wicketkeeping, captains Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL.

He remarked that both players have the temperament and time needed to grow into the role, noting that giving them the opportunity now would allow them to gain experience and evolve as leaders. According to Shastri, having already led IPL franchises, both Gill and Pant have developed valuable leadership qualities that would aid them at the international level.

He also praised Gill’s calm and composed demeanor, highlighting it as a strong trait for captaincy. Shastri, impressed by Gill’s presence and maturity, believes the top-ranked ICC ODI batsman possesses all the attributes required to lead India in the longer format.

With the Test captaincy up for grabs, Shastri’s recommendation reflects a forward-looking approach focused on grooming young leaders who can guide India through the next decade of international cricket.

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India] March 21: Bhubaneswar Odisha is a state rich in sporting heritage across various disciplines. To enhance the sporting culture in Odisha and produce more outstanding cricketers, MGM Group has established a state-of-the-art High Performance Cricket Academy near Cuttack city, 30 kms from Bhubaneswar, named MGM School of Sports. It will promote the ideal objectives of high performance & quality-driven cricket culture in the state. This residential academy is a fully owned subsidiary of MGM Minerals Ltd., the flagship company of MGM Group, Odisha.

With the support of the present administrative machinery namely, the Govt. of Odisha & the Odisha Cricket Association we are confident that the MGM School of Sports will enhance the cricket ecosystem in Odisha and strive to produce outstanding cricketers. MGM School of Sports will work as a feeder organization in the model of National Cricket Academy & other coaching centres of high reputation.

With state-of-the-art infrastructure which includes residential facilities, international-standard cricket grounds, Turf, Astroturf and Matting pitches, a six lane indoor arena, well-equipped gymnasium, swimming pool, physiotherapy & recovery centre, motivation hall, rehabilitation centre, beach volley ball court, basketball court etc. This sports academy will serve as a training hub for aspiring cricketers to undergo intensive training to achieve their goals.

The MGM School of Sports has signed an MoU with Coaching Beyond, one of India’s premier cricket coaching institutions, founded by Shri Ravi Shastri, Shri B Arun and Shri R. Sridhar, former Team India coaches. Coaching Beyond will be the knowledge & technical partner for this venture of MGM School of Sports to facilitate and execute high quality coaching programs with the aim to bring the world’s best practices to the heart of Odisha.

In addition to these illustrious coaches, MGM School of Sports has also roped in Shri S.L. Venkatapathy Raju, former Indian test cricketer as their consultant coach for this prestigious project.

To kickstart this venture, up to 50 young male cricketers will be selected through a transparent process and offered high performance training at a subsidised fee.  The number of trainees will be increased in future for both male and female cricketers. In addition to this special program, the academy will also run a daily coaching program which will be open to all age groups of boys & girls.

Shri Pankaj Lochan Mohanty, CMD, MGM Minerals Ltd. expressed his confidence and believes that this collaboration will augur well for the future of Odisha cricket and go on to become one of the most coveted cricket training centres in the world.

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New Delhi, Feb 10 (IANS) Former India head coach Ravi Shastri said his aim was to win and make Test cricket paramount and, in this pursuit, he identified an uncut diamond in Virat Kohli, who would go on to captain the team in this format.

Kohli, who pulled out of ongoing Tests against England due to personal reasons, led the team in 68 Test matches and won 40 of them, making him India’s most successful captain. He gave up Test captaincy after India lost the series in South Africa 2-1 in 2021/22.

Under his captaincy, India got their first-ever Test series win in Australia in 2018/19, as well as making it to the final of the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship in 2021, where they lost to New Zealand at Southampton.

"There was a lot of individual brilliance but I wanted to see team brilliance. I wanted to win and to make Test cricket paramount and identified an uncut diamond in Virat Kohli. While (MS) Dhoni was my captain, my eye was on him (Kohli). I told him very early in my second month: ‘It’ll take time but watch, observe, be ready (for the captaincy)’," said Shastri to Michael Atherton in a conversation for The Times.

Shastri, a member of India’s 1983 ODI World Cup winning team, had initially joined the Indian team in 2014 as a team director and became the head coach in 2017 till 2021 Men’s T20 World Cup. He was also appreciative of Kohli’s willingness to play Test cricket and do the tough things for needing to succeed in the format.

"Kohli was fully engaged with Test cricket. He was passionate. He was prepared to do the hard yards and was prepared to play tough cricket, which fitted my way of thinking. When you play Australia or Pakistan you’ve got to have a 'no complaints', 'no excuses' attitude."

"We were on the same page and wanted a battery of fast bowlers. He was ready for a scrap. He wanted to play hard. We made it a free-for-all in the nets. You were allowed to bounce the shit out of anyone. He was the first guy to embrace it; he was quite prepared to look ugly in the nets and the mindset changed.”

That battery of fast-bowlers helped India unearth a gem in Jasprit Bumrah, who recently became the first fast-bowler from the country to sit at top of ICC Test Rankings. Bumrah had taken a match haul of nine wickets in India’s 106-run win over England in the second Test at Visakhapatnam and also became the fastest Indian bowler to reach 150 wickets in the format.

Shastri recalled how eager Bumrah was about succeeding in Test cricket. "I remember my first call to him, it was in Kolkata. I asked him would he be interested in Test cricket. He said that would be the biggest day of his life."

"He was labelled as a white-ball cricketer without asking him. But I knew. I wanted to see how hungry he was. I told him to get ready, be prepared. I told him I was going to unleash him in South Africa."

"He's so excited to be playing and doing well in Test cricket. He was desperate to play Test cricket with Virat Kohli. They know, at the end of the day, no one remembers white ball averages. They will always remember your numbers in Test cricket," he concluded.

New Delhi, Aug 16 (IANS) Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has suggested that India consider including three left-handers within their top seven batting positions for the upcoming Asia Cup and the ODI World Cup in order to add variety in their line-up.

Speaking with Star Sports, Shastri suggested Ishan Kishan as the wicketkeeper, who has been involved in the Indian ODI setup for a considerable duration. In addition, the management could also consider including youngsters either Tilak Varma or Yashasvi Jaiswal.

"There are three other positions where I think two left-handers have to come in, apart from the top four you mentioned. Now this is where the selectors' role comes in because they are watching. They know who's the guy who's hot. If Tilak Varma is hot, bring him in. If you think Jaiswal is hot bring him in," Shastri said.

"So if you have persisted with Ishan Kishan for the last six to eight months and he's going to keep wickets, he comes in, in any case. But get two left handers. Including Jaddu, there should be three left-handers in the top seven. Ishan Kishan has been keeping for the last 15 months. Why go somewhere else?" he said.

Shastri also heaped on Tilak Varma and feels that India might want to look at the youngster for a spot in India's middle order for the upcoming mega events.

Although Tilak has yet to participate in ODI cricket, his debut T20I series was remarkable, and he garnered praise from both Shastri and others for his composed shot selection and impressive composure.

"Very Very impressed with Tilak Varma. And I want a left hander. If I am looking for a left-hander, I would really look in that direction," Shastri said.

New Delhi, May 18 (IANS) Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has selected Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rinku Singh as the young batters that have impressed him in ongoing IPL 2023 and feels that the two left-handed batters can present a late case for being part of this year's Men's ODI World Cup in case the national side is hit by further injuries.

"One is (Yashasvi) Jaiswal, simply because of the way he's played this season. And for me it is a marked improvement from what I saw from him last year, which is a very, very positive sign."

"It shows that there's a young guy prepared to work on his game, sort out things, get a more all-round game into play and he's done that this season. Just the power with which he's re-taking shots. Just the pockets he's hitting around the ground as opposed to last year is very good," said Shastri in the latest episode of The ICC Review show.

Jaiswal has been a standout batter for Rajasthan Royals with 575 runs in 13 innings, while Rinku lit up the tournament with his five straight final-over sixes for Kolkata Knight Riders against Gujarat Titans in the early part of the league stage. As of now, Rinku has amassed 407 runs in 13 innings.

"The other bloke is Rinku Singh, which is a great story. The more I see of him, that guy has got a fabulous temperament. He's tough as nails. Both these guys have come through very hard backgrounds."

"They've worked very hard initially in their lives and nothing's come easy for them. So you can see that hunger, that passion, that drive that is so needed to make it to the top," added Shastri, a member of the 1983 ODI World Cup winning team.

He further noted that young left-handed batters Tilak Varma, B Sai Sudharsan and right-handed finisher Jitesh Sharma, who have produced outstanding performances in IPL 2023, can also be in the mix alongside Jaiswal and Rinku. "As far as batting goes, there's Tilak Varma, there's Jitesh Sharma from Punjab (Kings) too who is a wicket-keeper-batter who's pretty dangerous and has stood out."

"There's even Sai Sudarshan, a left-hander (who has also caught the eye). But I would put Tilak Varma, I would put Jaiswal, I'd put Rinku Singh. (They) are the candidates who can really push through along with Ruturaj Gaikwad, who's been around for a while."

"These are the guys who can push for selection, depending on their form closer to the World Cup. And depending on injuries. If there are injuries to any key players, then these guys can come straight away into the mix," concluded Shastri.

Mumbai : Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has praised wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul for his exceptional performance in the first ODI against Australia, stating that it keeps the national selectors interested ahead of the World Test Championship (WTC) final against the same opponent in June.

India found themselves in a difficult position at 83/5 while chasing 189 in the first ODI, but Rahul's unbeaten 75, along with Ravindra Jadeja's 45 not out, led to a 108-run partnership that secured victory and a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. This is not the first time Rahul has delivered under pressure, having previously guided India to victory in a similar situation in an ODI against Sri Lanka.

Shastri told Star Sports, "He has really done well to keep the selectors interested ahead of the WTC final. Two things, one for the ODI series when Rohit Sharma returns and the other for the WTC final. India can bolster their batting if Rahul can keep wickets."

Although Rahul struggled in the preceding Test series against Australia and lost his vice-captaincy, Shastri believes he can bat in the middle-order and be the wicketkeeper India needs for the WTC final. In the absence of Rishabh Pant, KS Bharat kept wickets in all four Test matches against Australia but had mixed results with the bat and gloves.

"Rahul can bat in the middle-order No. 5 or No. 6. In England, you have to generally keep wickets from far behind. You don't have to keep up to the spinners a lot. He has 3 more ODIs to go before the IPL. He can cement his place in that Indian team," added Shastri.

India and Australia will face off in the WTC final from June 7-11 at The Oval. This will be India's second consecutive appearance in the WTC final, following their loss to New Zealand in the 2021 tie at Southampton.

New Delhi, Feb 26 (IANS) Former India head coach Ravi Shastri stated that one doesn't require having a vice-captain in home conditions, adding that he liked this idea in the first place.

His comments come ahead of the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia in Indore starting from March 1, where there is no designated vice-captain for the Indian team.

Opener K.L Rahul, who was the vice-captain, is averaging 12.67 from three innings in the first two matches. With Shubman Gill waiting in the wings, Rahul is under immense pressure to hold on to the opening spot.

"If the vice-captain doesn't perform, someone can take his place; at least the tag is not there. I'm being blunt and brutal, I never like vice-captain in home conditions. Overseas, it's different."

"The team management will decide (the vice-captain). They know his (Rahul's) form, they know his mental state. They know how they should be watching someone like Shubman Gill."

"I, for one, always had the belief (to) never appoint a vice-captain for India. I would rather go with my best XI, and if the captain has to leave the field, you'd zero in on a player that can take over at the time, simply because you don't need to create complications," Shastri said on the ICC Review Podcast show.

Gill has been in scintillating form in recent times, slamming 208 against New Zealand in the Hyderabad ODI earlier in the year. He would go on to register his first T20I century against the same opposition in the series decider in Ahmedabad. Also, Gill scored his maiden Test match hundred at Chattogram against Bangladesh in December last year.

"Here, you want prime form, you want someone like Shubman Gill, who's red hot. He will challenge. He has to bang that door down and get into the side. Now, he's not the vice-captain, it has to be team management's decision," added Shastri.

Talking about Rahul, Shastri pointed towards many being in the waiting line to get into the Test eleven for other positions.

"They will have to see the form, his state of mind. He's a tremendous player, but talent is only so much. You have to convert that into results and be consistent. There's so much talent in India who is knocking on the door. It's not just KL Rahul, there are many in the middle-order and bowling lineup as well."