Let people judge the best travelling team, CoA to Shastri

New Delhi, November 8

“India’s best travelling team in the last 15 years,” said Ravi Shastri. “Let people be the judge,” retorted the Committee of Administrators (CoA) when the national cricket coach spoke of the criticism that his team faces, a top BCCI official has said. At a recent meeting between the team management and the CoA in Hyderabad, Shastri reiterated his much-publicised comments that drew sharp reactions from former cricketers such as Sunil Gavaskar and Sourav Ganguly. “Ravi initially started off by saying that the Indian media always criticises its own players and how this is one of the best ever teams in the last 15 years,” an official present in the meeting said. 

Shastri’s reference to the criticism was related to a verbal altercation that Kohli had with a journalist in England after the team lost the Test series 1-3.

The skipper, when questioned about Shastri’s comment in England, asked for the journalist’s view on it. When the scribe said he wasn’t quite convinced about the coach’s assertion, Kohli snapped back, “That’s your opinion, thank you.”

“When Ravi went on about how great this current team is, one of the CoA members just cut him short,” the official recollected. “The CoA member told him, ‘Let’s stick to the agenda of the meeting and discuss the tour policies for Australia. You don’t decide if the team is the best travelling side in the world. Let people be the judge’,” the official said.

Shastri and Kohli were told that the Indian team is being provided each and every facility that they have sought and their performance on the field should match that input.

The meeting was attended by CoA chief Vinod Rai, Diana Edulji, CEO Rahul Johri, IPL COO Hemang Amin, GM (Cricket Operations) Saba Karim along with Kohli, Shastri, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane and the chairman of selectors MSK Prasad. — PTI

Oz drop Starc, Marsh, Lyon for T20Is against India  

Australia have named a 13-member squad for the upcoming T20Is against South Africa and India without the experienced trio of Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Marsh and Nathan Lyon. Pacer Peter Siddle, who was named as cover for Starc in the recent overseas T20I series against Pakistan, has also been dropped while the other frontline quicks — Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins — continue to be left out too, despite being fit. “While I know all four (Starc, Siddle, Lyon and Marsh) have a desire to be playing cricket for Australia in every format, with a really tough Test series against India coming up, we believe their best preparation is to go back and get some really good cricket under their belts in the Sheffield Shield,” Australia head coach Justin Langer said. Meanwhile, left-arm quick Jason Behrendorff and all-rounder Marcus Stoinis have been added to the squad. The one-off T20I against South Africa is slated for November 17 at Queensland’s Carrara Oval while the three-match series against India will commence on November 21 in Brisbane.