Former Team India cricketer Reetinder Singh Sodhi expects Indian head coach Ravi Shastri to continue as the manager of the Virat Kohli-led side if the Asian giants secure their second World T20 title in the next instalment of the showpiece event. Shastri has been the driving force of the Indian side led by Kohli and the head coach of the Asian giants is responsible for making India a force to reckon with across all formats.
In Shastri’s ongoing managerial stint, Team India has become one of the most successful sides across all formats although Kohli and Co. are still in pursuit of their first major ICC trophy since 2013. The Shastri-coached Team India side had made it to the semi-finals of the ICC World Cup 2019. Kohli and Co. finished runners-up in the inaugural edition of the Test Championship and the Shastri-coached side is also expected to start as favourites in the forthcoming ICC World T20.
During a discussion on India News, Sodhi addressed the speculations around Shastri’s future. The former Indian cricketer opined that it will be impossible to remove Shastri if Kohli and Co. end up winning the ICC World T20 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). “This is speculative for sure. It will be very harsh to say that Ravi has not performed well. He has done quite well but if the parameter is winning trophies, we have not done that. But if the Indian team wins the T20 World Cup, it will be impossible to remove Ravi Shastri,” he was quoted as saying.
There is no denying that Shastri has done a commendable job as the head coach of the Kohli-led side. The former Indian all-rounder was re-appointed as the head coach after India’s bitter-sweet campaign in the 2019 World Cup. Shastri-coached India also retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and Kohli’s men have also performed exceptionally well in away tours.
“He has done a decent job earlier as well and winning the trophy, something we have been waiting for, I think the purpose will be filled. But end of the day, the way Rahul bhai has gone to Sri Lanka as a coach and the board rejected the proposal of two additional batsmen, you get a somewhat different signal. If you ask me, there is pressure on Ravi bhai,” he added.
