Aim is to facilitate smooth transition, leave team in happier space: Shastri

Coolidge (Antigua), August 17

Ravi Shastri, given another term as the head coach of the Indian team, says his primary endeavour will be to facilitate a smooth transition of the younger players into the senior national team. There will also be room for experimentation, he said.

Shastri, 57, was yesterday reappointed for a second term. As per the BCCI's constitution, the national team's head coach has to be below 60 years, the age Shastri will be approaching by the time his tenure ends in 2021. The 50-over World Cup of 2023 is still a long way away and winning the 2021 World T20 is the realistic goal for the team.

Increasing pool

“Next two years is to see that smooth transition happens because you will get a lot of youngsters coming, especially into the white ball set-up. There will be youngsters coming into the Test match set-up as well,” Shastri said. “You will need to identify another three-four bowlers to add to the pool... Those are the challenges. At the end of our tenure, in 26 months, my endeavour would be to leave the team in a happier place. So that they can leave a legacy for the time to come.”

Shastri wants the team to leave a legacy that future cricketers would want to emulate. “I had the belief that this team could leave a legacy very few teams have left behind in the years to come, not just for the moment they are playing but at the end of it all,” Shastri said. “The kind of legacy other teams going down decades will want to try and emulate...” — PTI