The Indian cricket team thrived to become a superpower in international cricket with a match made in heaven as the combination of Ravi Shastri-Virat Kohli at the helm of affairs served the nation for a period of nearly seven years.
As the iconic leadership journey comes to an end, here's revisiting the great bygone era of the 59-year-old head coach who was also in the limelight as India's former team director before taking up the coaching duties in July 2017.
The dynamic duo of Shastri-Kohli first came together in 2014 for a Test match at Adelaide after then skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was banned from the game, paving the way for Kohli to lead the team.
While Dhoni returned as captain in the next two matches in Brisbane and Melbourne, it was after MSD's sudden decision to retire from the longest format of the game that surprised the Indian cricket fans as Kohli was made full-time captain of the Test team.
With Shastri being made the director of the Indian cricket team in 2014 for eight months from India's tour of England till the 2015 World Cup, it gave a rise to the onset of India's newest deadly partnership on the block holding key leadership positions.
However, Shastri was removed in 2016 but on July 13, 2017, he was appointed the head coach of the Indian team, reuniting with Kohli to forge a cracking partnership that would go on to transform the Indian cricketing landscape for a long time to come. Here's a look at Shastri's top 5 achievements as Team India's head coach:
1). Twin Test series wins vs Australia Down Under:
In a major accomplishment for Shastri-Kohli, Team India won the Border Gavaskar Trophy win (2018-19) under the duo's guidance, where India scripted history by becoming the first Asian team to beat Australia in a Test series in their own backyard.
The second successive Test series triumph down under was when recently in Australia (2020-21) Shastri and his stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane guided the team admirably in the absence of the regular skipper Kohli, as India defeated the hosts Australia to clinch the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the second time in a row completing twin victories.
2). The 2019 ICC ODI World Cup semi-final:
Virat Kohli-led Team India was the best side in the group stages of the 2019 World Cup and had finished on top of the points table in the quadrennially held event in England and Wales. Unfortunately, Shastri-Kohli-led Men in Blue lost heartbreakingly to Kane Williamson's New Zealand in the semi-final to bow out of the tournament.
3). The 2021 Pataudi Trophy (India-England Test Series):
Under the leadership of Kohli and Shastri, India took a 2-1 lead in the five-match Test series against England earlier this year before the final Test in Manchester was cancelled due to a coronavirus outbreak in the Indian camp.
4). Top-Ranked Test team for 42 months:
In coach Shastri and skipper Kohli's era, the Indian cricket team prevailed as the top-most Test side in the purest format of the gentlemen's game. Team India finally became a force to reckon with in Test cricket, holding on to the number one ranking in the world for 42 months from 2016 to 2020.
5). Clean sweeping New Zealand 5-0 in T20I series:
Indian coach Ravi Shastri led the applause for his team as the Men in Blue completed a 5-0 clean sweep over New Zealand in the year 2020 as Team India beat New Zealand by seven runs in the 5th T20I in Mount Maunganui and thus became the first team to whitewash the Kiwis in their own backyard in a T20I series.
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Shastri was appointed as head coach for the national side by the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), comprising of India's cricketing legends viz. Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, and VVS Laxman. Initially, the contract had Shastri getting paid INR 8 crore per year, INR 1.5 crore more than his predecessor Anil Kumble.
As the World cup 2019 was in progress, on 13 June, the BCCI announced an extension of Shastri's contract by 45 days after the tournament. On 16 August 2019, he was re-appointed as the head coach of the senior men's Indian team, with his new contract extending up to the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup that concluded with a resounding win over Namibia.
https://www.timesnownews.com/sports...achievements-as-team-indias-head-coach/830229
