Remember Rahul Dravid? Now that was a batsman who could bat in any conditions. Some might say he could have batted through the minefield that was Lord’s on day two of the second Test, when India were bowled out for 107. Straight bat, knew his off-stump, stoic defence, and most importantly, he could bat time – they don’t make Test batsmen like him anymore.
The world of television commentary has a lot of wasteful musings, but if you dial down the ambient noise, sometimes a pearl or two of wisdom does break out. Sample this quote, said on air some time after Dravid retired: “T20 has had an effect on the patience of players. Gone are the days when you see players batting for a day.”
Do you know who said that? India’s current coach Ravi Shastri, during one of his innumerable commentary stints.
Today, he finds himself in a peculiar position. Shastri needs someone to bat long, for a day, perhaps longer, when the third Test at Nottingham gets underway on Saturday. Then, he needs that batsman (or batsmen) to repeat this process in Southampton and then at the Oval, so that India have a fighting chance of over-turning the 2-0 score-line.
Who will Shastri turn to? Murali Vijay’s confidence is shot. Ajinkya Rahane is in the same boat, as is Dinesh Karthik. Shikhar Dhawan isn’t cut for Test cricket in England. KL Rahul is suddenly suspect. Karun Nair is untested in these conditions and Rishabh Pant is a newbie. Cheteshwar Pujara? Maybe, as long as he is not force-fed words like “intent” or dropped on “gut feeling”, or in fact, stops getting run-out. Virat Kohli? Well, there is only so much one man can do.
Sitting in the studios, at a higher vantage point than the dressing room, and more importantly, at a further distance away, perhaps Shastri the commentator would have known this answer like all former cricketers in such jobs do. Being in the thick of action, in that losing dressing room, part of a think-tank that erroneously picked a second spinner at Lord’s, things are a lot different.
Four years ago, Shastri bridged that gap between the commentary box and the dressing room. It was a similar setting, but the situation was different. India had lost the Test series 3-1 in England, and Shastri – along with assistant (then batting) coach Sanjay Bangar, bowling coach Bharat Arun and fielding coach R Sridhar – flew in as Director of Cricket to assist coach Duncan Fletcher. “I am here to oversee everything is running smoothly,” he had announced, on arrival.
Indian cricket has moved at breakneck speed since then, with a plethora of changes coming over, both in terms of leadership on the field as well as modus operandi off it. Shastri has been along this pacey ride for most part, barring 12 months wherein Anil Kumble was in the coaching role.
As director in his first stint, Shastri was not hands-on, and had to find that working relationship while Fletcher was there. When the latter moved on after the 2015 World Cup, his role encompassed more ground. Yet, a formalised coaching job only came about in 2017. The underlying point here is that Shastri’s sphere of influence has evolved over the years, and not everybody on the outside has been able to fathom it.
There is an odd disconnect here, in how the world perceives Shastri’s role in this Indian camp. Two versions of his persona exist – one, the commentator, wherein he waxes eloquent about everything the BCCI has done. And why shouldn’t he? Everything Shastri is today is because of Indian cricket, and that is where his allegiance will lie always, first and foremost.
The problem is that this comes across as the television avatar, which most people are familiar with, even those covering the game. For some inexplicable reason, it blends into the ‘coach’. It is the second persona, yet it is almost impossible to differentiate the two.
For example, on Thursday, when he addressed the media, Shastri talked about learning from mistakes, identifying with tough conditions but not presenting them as an excuse, and digging deep, batting ugly to salvage this series. Then, when asked about on-field banter, he said, “This team gives back as good as it gets, in whatever language we are comfortable in”.
Every word, every statement from Shastri is so full of bluster that it seems like he is not sitting in the press conference room, addressing the media when his team is 2-0 down, and on the verge of a series’ loss. It feels he is talking for the camera, posturing, and presenting a façade.
And therein, lies the trick.
Because the world is not able to differentiate between the two personalities, we buy into it and concentrate on the bashful attitude. It is like World Wrestling Entertainment, wherein Paul Heyman talks trash to opponents every single time before Brock Lesnar takes to the ring. In effect, all it does is mask the true intent of the wrestler, his focus and animal-like instinct to fight.
Shastri does this with aplomb, and we lap it up, thus leaving the beleaguered Indian cricketers in peace. It may seem to mask their deficiencies in public, but only so much. Behind closed doors, he knows when to keep an arm around the shoulder, and when to pick up the stick.
He will throw the team a party for their spirited display despite losing in South Africa. He will also knock their socks off when they mess up a run-chase in Australia (2016 tour).
He will mouth off when home advantage doesn’t work in India’s favour (Mumbai ODI versus South Africa, 2015). He will also thump his chest when it does (the subsequent Test series on dustbowls).
He will not complain about raging green tops laid out in Johannesburg, or poor outfields in Chelmsford, or unplayable batting conditions at Lord’s – not once. He will also goad the Indian team to forget it all, and still prove they are world-beaters by winning the next three Tests.
He will guide Virat Kohli about his wrong stance in 2014, and help improve his footwork to face James Anderson in 2018, telling him to play shots with the upper blade. He will also tell Hardik Pandya that he is a world-beating all-rounder, albeit it is yet to be proven on field.
He will stand at cover position and watch Rahane bat in the nets, making sure the vice-captain gains from advice and in confidence because “he is a pillar of this batting line-up” (said on Thursday). He will also prepare Rishabh Pant for a fiery trial-by-fire debut at Nottingham.
Only a man of his stature, and deep understanding of the game, can pull off these dual roles with self-assurance. And this aspect gains vital importance because if India are to salvage anything from this Test series, there is no denying the Shastri influence.
“Just believe in yourself,” he said at Trent Bridge, in his inimitable style, when asked what he has told the team post defeat at Lord’s. “You have been in this position couple of times before and you have responded. One thing for sure in this unit, there is no negative bone. Despite what happened in the last Test match, conditions favoured England but that is no excuse whatsoever. It can happen to any side. We are here without a negative bone and wanting to play to win, as simple as that.”
This is Shastri’s turf, his job to turn things around in the best way he knows how, whether with technical inputs or mental conditioning, and it doesn’t really matter what the world thinks.
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