One of them detailed how Shastri will keep the morale of the team high even after a bad day in the office, with not just his high-pitched pep talk, but also keep the 'spirits' flowing.
There is a certain image of Ravi Shastri in people's mind — as someone who enjoys good life. And also as someone who likes to talk his mind. Many jokes and memes flew around in the virtual world during the recent cricket coach fiasco on how and why India captain Virat Kohli desperately wanted Shastri to return as head coach.
One of them detailed how Shastri will keep the morale of the team high even after a bad day in the office, with not just his high-pitched pep talk, but also keep the 'spirits' flowing.
That Shastri is a great motivator and a shrewd cricketing brain is established and other talks can be passed off as mere jokes. The players have said that when the former India all-rounder is around in the dressing room, they feel relaxed and can speak their mind freely.
This camaraderie was visible between the Shastri and Kohli during the pre-departure press conference ahead of the Sri Lanka tour here on Wednesday. From the time they entered the conference room, Kohli looked comfortable and at peace in the presence of Shastri.
The coach isn't someone who looks back and sulks. He says he has matured a lot from the time he was not retained by the Cricket Advisory Committee last year to his appointment once again as coach of the Indian cricket team early this month.
"Taking on from where Virat left, I have matured since I last went to Sri Lanka and I have matured immensely in the last two weeks. Ok. Mine will be a refresh button that will be pushed, I carry on from where I left. I don't come with any baggage. The team has done exceedingly well over three years and they are the people who deserve the credit more than anybody else," Shastri told media on Wednesday.
Shastri, who in his own words (during his earlier stint) "cares two hoots about the results", came again with a straight quote on being asked about his unceremonious exit the last time.
"These Ravi Shastris, Anil Kumbles will come and go. The fabric of Indian cricket will remain and the credit should go to everyone who has participated in this Indian team over the last three years. If they are number one today, it is the efforts they have put in over the three-year period and they deserve the credit. People like us will come and go," Shastri said.
It wasn't just the appointment of Shastri that made headlines, but also his choice of support staff. When asked what does it mean to have a team of support staff of his choice, he said "I will answer that same question wearing two hats and I promise you there is no conflict of interest here. One as a player and as a former captain.
"When you play the game, you want your mind clear. You want to be able to focus inwards without a care in the world for anything on the outside and that happens with good communication with the support staff," he said.
"Now I will go on the other side as the head coach. My job is to do exactly that for every player, to put him in a frame of mind where he is thinking only about his role and he is thinking about the team that he is playing for and of course the opposition which we always respect. And that is his job… period. And that is sitting on both sides," added Shastri.
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