Ravi Shastri had a great run as head coach of the Indian men's cricket team. After Anil Kumble quit completing his one year tenure in 2016, Shastri was handed over the tough job of taking Indian cricket to new heights and he has done a commendable job at it as well, especially in Test cricket.
India challenged South Africa in their own den in 2017-18. Beat Australia in Australia twice and almost completed a series win against England this year.
The team won many bilateral ODI and T20I series as well. Not to forget the Nidahas Trophy and Asia Cup were also won under his reign.
There is no doubt that Shastri is among the great man managers available in world cricket and he can be of great use for any team, internationally or local. That is why many IPL teams may have reached out to him already now that he is free from India duty.
Hugs, handshakes all around. End of the Ravi Shastri era. pic.twitter.com/Qv28UgjALf
— Vinayakk (@vinayakkm) November 8, 2021
Here, we look at three IPL sides who particularly would be looking to get him on board:
1. Lucknow:
They are a new franchise, bought by RPSG group, for a whopping price of more than Rs 7,000 crore and after spending so heavily, they would like to build a team that goes on to clinch one title after another and build a high brand for itself.
Building a team is divided into two phases in IPL: One, when the auction happens and the franchise tries to get the players they want. And two, on the field, by implementing plans and playing well as a unit. In both these aspects, a franchise needs a solid coach. That coach is someone who tries to look for local talent, get the best of international players and works with the managment to make these things possible smoothly.
With Shastri having spent so much time in Indian cricket, he is the best man for the job. He is someone who knows Indian cricket inside out: the new kid on the block, the future of the Indian team, the domestic stars and who is doing how in international cricket. For a team like Lucknow, getting him on board will be a great start already.
2. Sunrisers Hyderabad:
SRH last won a title in 2016. After that, they reached the 2018 final under the captaincy of Kane Williamson. Since then this side has only seen the fall. They have been among the bottom placed teams year after year and the SRH management must be looking for a sharp brain to reboot their side and start from the scratch.
Shastri is known for this capability to build a team from the scratch. He has done it with Indian team in the past. Even before he was named as the full time head coach, he served as director of operations many a times when the team required his guidance.
He knows how to work with limited resources and make everyone work for a single goal. If Shastri is interested, we may see SRH making the first call to him.
3. Ahmedabad:
The reports surfaced a week back that Ahmedabad, owned by CVC Capital, have already approached Shastri for the role of the head coach. And not only him, even assitant coaches Bharat Arun and R Sridhar are bring roped in.
However, only time will tell how true these reports are. But if Ahmedabad manage to pull it off, that is bring Shastri in, that would be a masterstroke from the franchise. Like Lucknow, they are knew and would need expertise in how to build a team and excel in IPL. No one can do this job better than Shastri at the moment.
