It was 39 years ago that Shastri made his Test debut for India at this venue against the Kiwis.
Team India is set to take on New Zealand in a much-awaited Test clash between the two sides at the Basin Reserve in Wellington from Friday.
Ahead of the 1st game of the two-match Test series, head coach Ravi Shastri took a trip down the memory lane during an exclusive interview with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Thursday (February 20).
It was 39 years ago that Shastri made his Test debut for India at this venue against the Kiwis.
Speaking to Cheteshwar Pujara for BCCI.tv about the special occasion, Ravi claimed that never in his dreams did he ever thought he will be back at this place as the coach of the national side.
"I would have never believed I would come to the same ground, the same venue, playing against the same opposition. I went into the same dressing room, nothing has changed. I made my debut here 39 years ago," Shastri said on the eve of the 1st Test match.
"I wouldn't have believed it to the day, 21st of February, I would be back after 39 years."
"It's been a great journey. To come back after 39 years, you would have never imagined. That too in India colours in an Indian dressing room but I will never forget that because I reached New Zealand 9:30 pm at night (on the eve of the Test)," he added.
Expressing his thoughts on how he was included in the Indian squad later after Dilip Doshi picked up an injury during the Australia tour, Shastri said he was very much nervous before his debut moment.
"The late Bapu Nadkarni came to the airport to pick me up. The Indian team was at the high commission for their official. I went straight to the hotel room," he said.
"There was no one there. So I crashed out. The next morning, Sunny lost the toss, we were put into the field. There you go, I was playing the game straight away."
"I think I was nervous, like anyone playing his first game. But I bowled tidily and I got the wicket of Jeremy Coney, which gave me confidence. Conditions were totally different when compared to wherever I have played because there were circling winds and it was a very, very cold day," he added.
Throughout his career, Shastri played 80 Test matches and 150 ODIs for Team India.
HERE IS THE FULL VIDEO:
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 "Ravi Shastri and Cheteshwar Pujara")
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