Ravi Shastri backs Rahul Dravid, says “With his experience, he will only raise the bar”

Outgoing head coach Ravi Shastri feels his successor Rahul Dravid has inherited a “great team”.

Ravi-Shastri-backs-Rahul-Dravid Ravi-Shastri-and-Rahul-Dravid head-coach-Ravi-Shastri

During a post-match press conference, outgoing head coach Ravi Shastri wished his successor Rahul Dravid luck and said that he has inherited a “great team”. “There is one thing missing, that is (winning the) ICC tournament. They will get a chance and Rahul Dravid has come as a coach, I wish him all the luck. He is a great player, got the stature, he has done the yards as a coach, to further take this team over the next few years and raise the bar,” Shastri was quoted saying, as per media agency.


During Shastri's stay in Australia, he won the back-to-back Test series, but he and captain Virat Kohli failed to win an ICC trophy. Outgoing bowling coach Bharat Arun and fielding coach R Sridhar, whose tenures also ended with the team's World Cup campaign, were both praised by Shastri. 


“See, I call Arun the guru of bowling department... him and Sridhar have done an outstanding job, but I'll come first to Bharat Arun. He has been in the coaching space for almost 20 years now, if not more. And not only that he has coached a lot of coaches, but he has also conducted a lot of courses, he has certified a lot of coaches and then come to do this job and that's the prime reason I picked them...” Shashtri added. 


Also Read: After Rahul Dravid, BCCI Eying VVS Laxman To Lead NCA


“... because I wanted to pick people from my stable, which is the NCA and I happen to be the chairman there for sometimes when the system was put in place. That is the time guys like Sridhar and Arun came into the fold, with Dav Whatmore there,” Shastri continued. 


Shastri further said that the best quality of Arun is his communication skill. “He will not change anyone's technique for the sake of it, unless he has the solution or unless he explains to the guy (player) why he has to do it, for the sake of doing it, he won't,” Shashtri said.


He further added, “He instilled professionalism in the unit by his communication skills, to let them know that this is what we expect from a bowling team, not a bowling individual, that is not easy, that is something specific that he did, he ensured that happened.”


He further praised the fielding coach Sridhar and said, “And then I'll go to Sridhar, who I think is one of the best coaches in the world (and) he is outstanding. All I had to tell him was I want this to be one of the best Indian fielding sides ever, that was my diktat to him and said in every match, I want to see the bar raised.”



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