“Stay indoors people. Crucial phase this. Only thing flying around the world like a tracer bullet is this bloody Corona (COVID-19). Stay in before the bugger gets you #IndiaFightsCorona.” A tweet typical of the man!
Speaking to The Hindu from his home in Mumbai, India cricket coach Ravi Shastri said, “there is total gloom at the moment. The thing (virus) is flying everywhere. It would be foolish to talk about cricket in these times. It should be the last thing on your mind at the moment. Safety of the people is most important. Whatever precautions have to be taken should get priority. As said in no uncertain terms by the Prime Minister. We need to understand the gravity of the situation.”
Known for his positive approach in cricket, Shastri said, “You have to be pretty aggressive in your thinking that you can do the job. Failure is the last thing in my mind. Don’t think of failure, think instead ‘I’m going to do it!’ That’s the mindset that allows you to do what you want to do, what you can do.”
He recalled some challenging moments from his career to drive home the point. “The phase between 1982 and 1983, when I got a hundred in Pakistan (Karachi, 1983), and then on to 1992, I did literary everything. Went from No. 10 to No. 1 in the batting line-up. Batted in the top three. Got wickets. Tasted success with the 1983 World Cup, 1985 WCC, 1985 Rothmans Cup, Asia Cup. All because I remained positive. Playing with SMG (Gavaskar) and Jimmy (Mohinder Amarnath), I was like a sponge. Absorbing what I saw and heard. Keeping ears and eyes wide open,” Shastri said.
Fighting fire
Shastri, who was never ever struck on the head during his career, also remembered some frightening spells. “The spell in Antigua (in 1983). Dilip (Vengsarkar) and Malcolm (Marshall) were having a few exchanges just before the second new ball, towards the end of the day’s play. Marshall was spitting fire. He hit Dilip on the helmet. I remember the helmet rolling almost to wicketkeeper Jeff Dujon. Marshall got him hooking. I was the non-striker. Marshall gave it everything,” recalled Shastri.
On India’s recent loss in New Zealand, Shastri was candid. “It was a cycle (of so much cricket). It was decided four years ago. We left India on May 23 and finished on March 20. Most of the boys were home for just 15 days during 10 months. There was so much that we went through. You could see towards the end — injuries, mental fatigue, but they hung in despite missing some key players. It was hard but the guys bit the bullet and soldiered on.”
Expanding the mind
Catching up on lots of things at home now, Shastri counselled, “It’s a good opportunity to expand your mindset. Read a lot, try different things. Basically, slow down the pace of your life. I have not had a break for 40 years. During this fight against the virus, I am not going to be negative. I know India as a nation will beat this Corona. We have to be together in supporting the government,” he said.
