Is Shastri a man? No, says Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli and his coach Ravi Shastri at the press conference prior to departure, before leaving for Australia for a full-fledged tour, which will begin Wednesday with step T20. PTI

Ravi Shastri is he a "yes man" for Virat Kohli? Is this the reason why he is the coach of India? Does he bring something to the table? What is his role? These are some of the issues that have clouded the pair since Shastri became the coach. Shastri has more or less bad press: it was easy to dissuade him. His turbulent personality, his extravagant public remarks. Not only "we are the best team in 15 years", but his full and flawless support of the team. In private, does he show Kohli's mirror?

A day before India leaves for a very important tour to Australia, which could determine the future of the team 's management if it' s not the same. team, the question of Shastri was put to Kohli.

That's what Kohli said: "About saying yes all the time, it's the weirdest thing I've heard. Honestly, I do not think anyone told me either that he did Indian cricket. Because he's the only one I can talk to and get an honest opinion and he will tell me something that does not need to be done and that does not need to be done. 39 be done. "

HOT DEALS

What was Shastri's contribution to the team? The decor, with Shastri sitting next to him, was not ideal, but it was still interesting to hear his answer. "His contribution is to make people believe that they belong to this level, because at a time when we all went through the difficult period, 2014 for me, and for many 'other players Shikhar Dhawan in 2015, to come out of this shell, I can testify, to get the most out of the players, it is the most important factor,' said Kohli.

In 2014, Kohli performed a tour Horror in England by James Anderson His technique was on display as he struggled to cope with the swing and move, repeatedly approaching the drawstring, ex-players like Sanjay Manjrekar had criticized Kohli: "Take another test at Virat … just to be sure that 39, it does not belong to us here, "tweeted Manjrekar in January 2012. It was not just Manjrekar who had tried, but many did. his tweet best captures the extreme side of criticism.

We do not know what mental space Kohli was at that time, but judging by what it was, it was not so great.
is changing my game by listening to it more than anyone in the past, "Kohli said Thursday.Some of the changes have been successful.It is on Shastri's insistence that Kohli has started to stand outside the fold, a move that helped to counter the movement.This was not easy, that's why we did not see many other Indian drummers, if any But Kohli had the self-confidence to follow the suggestion, and according to Shastri's advice, Kohli sometimes started taking the guard out of the stump almost to Anderson in England during the tour a few months ago.

Shastri's technical fingerprints have also been observed in players other than Kohli.While Cheteshwar Pujara solved the problem himself, it was confirmed when Shastri also proposed the same thing – to stand more in position We had l & # 3 He felt that he was crouching a little too much and that it had caused problems in the English conditions. He was seen again and again chatting with the other drummers, advising them on other changes.

But as Kohli himself put it on Thursday, it was not as if the team did not know what to do technically.
"Many people think we do not understand what to do. And someone must literally tell you where the bat should come from and where the head should be, we have sufficiently supported these things. This is the management of the man that Ravi bhai has brilliantly accomplished since the time he spent with the team. "

Man Management

The management of man – so this is the heart of the problem. In the manner of Kohli, Shastri was great. But the question is whether the praises are coming, because Shastri is perceived as a "yes" to Kohli. What can we honestly expect when the question is put to Kohli? It is obvious that he will marvel at Shastri (if he is indeed a "yes"), but the answer gives us a clue as to the extent of the relationship between the two. That in itself tells a story of its own. "And men's management is the most important thing at the level we play," said Kohli.

This is a problem that weighs on this team for two years. Especially when communications collapsed horribly with Anil Kumble at the helm. The situation had got so much worse that Kohli even removed his welcome tweet to Kumble that he had published when he became a coach – after Kumble left his post. It is an extreme gesture beyond imagination and he of course invited Kumble to his wedding later.

But it was clear that there had been a complete break in their relationship in the past. It is here that Shastri stepped in and changed the equations with the captain.

This had led to criticisms that Shastri was mollycoddling Kohli or at least perverted his ego in a way that left no room for sincere self-reflection. Honestly, Kohli responded to the criticism.

"Look, everyone has his opinion, he is absolutely free and has the right to express his opinion, but we can not stop living. we can not stop doing things that we consider organic, nothing is invented here, nothing is created or nothing happens in a fictitious way. We all have a responsibility to shoulder and we do it to the best of our ability, and the only motive is to advance Indian cricket. And if anyone can say otherwise about the progress of the team, then I can say that it's a very personal point of view, because we all feel that we're moving in the right direction in as long as the team.

determined by the results of the team in Australia. Apart from the performances, Kohli's team would also be faced with a rather unusual situation of the Australian team almost forced to become more docile, almost against his character with all the talk of "elite honesty" that the team tries to adopt after the shenanigans that led to the bans of Steve Smith and David Warner after an episode of balloon falsification. The question was whether Kohli would try to use it?

Kohli explained how, if he was younger and "immature", he would probably jump to the bait. But not now after he becomes captain.

"I think it's a very personal thing for them. I do not know the reason behind that, so I can not say anything. But when it comes to engaging in an argument or a fight that people want to follow with enthusiasm, I am quite willing to play without altercation and very happy in my own space. Personally, I no longer find it necessary to go after these things. I have enough confidence in my abilities to be able to play for no reason. These were immature things that I was eating at the very beginning of my career, so I could inflate myself and not feel all that pressure. Now, as captain of the team, you have no other place than to think what the team wants all the time.

"So you do not find the need for these things at all. As you said, they will not give back. We have always been the ones who made it. We never started. So, as long as it does not start, we have no problem focusing on our game and doing what we need to do. We do not necessarily have to go for anything. They want to play in a certain way, we will reciprocate in a certain way. That's how cricket happens. But in our minds, we have to stay competitive and not let our energy drop.

This is one of those series that promises to be interesting, not just for cricket on the pitch, but for everything else: Australians Cricket Australia will have to call back Smith and Warner at some point – and above all, how will the relationship between Kohli and Shastri dissipate and if the Indians can find a way to overcome the line.

For the latest sports news, download the Indian Express app