‘They were treating it like a desk job’ – Ravi Shastri on Indian cricket before he came in 2014

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri was clear cut in saying that he wasn’t happy with Team India’s style of play before he began his journey with the national team. Back in August 2014, the now 59-year-old Shastri joined them as a team director after which he served as the head coach for four years from 2017 to 2021.

In 2014, India lost their five-match overseas Test series against England after initially taking a 1-0 lead following the win in the Lord’s Test. After the disastrous tour, Shastri said that the then BCCI president, N Srinivasan, insisted him to take charge of Team India.

Shastri, whose tenure with the Indian team ended after the T20 World Cup 2021said that he wanted to change the mentality of the side. The veteran mentioned that India were playing with a lot of pressure and negativity at the back of their minds.

Shastri, also a member of the 1983 World Cup-winning Indian squad, put forth his opinions while speaking to former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar on the latter’s YouTube channel.

I wanted the Indian team to be fearless, says Ravi Shastri

“I thought the team is good, but their approach towards the game should change. I was not happy with the way they played. I played in the 1980s, one of the toughest eras. I made my debut at the age of 18 and in the next 10 years, I went to three tours of Pakistan, two tours of the West Indies and three tours of England,” Shastri said.

“When you score two overseas tons by the time you turn 20, it changes your entire perspective of how you want to play. You want to be the best in the world, you want to win, play really hard, but fair. I wanted the Indian team to be fearless.

“I thought they were carrying a lot of baggage. They were treating cricket like a deskjob. If you are not afraid of losing, that’s when you start winning,” Shastri added.

Shastri took over as the head coach after Anil Kumble resigned following his alleged spat with former skipper Virat Kohli. Under Shastri, India failed to win a single ICC trophy, but garnered numerous laurels in bilateral series, including two back-to-back Test series wins on Australian soil.

In Shastri’s tenure, India also played the final of the 2019-21 World Test Championship against New Zealand at the Rose Bowl in Southampton.