T20 World Cup- Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma gift their bats to Ravi Shastri: A bat is the closest thing to a batsman and they often protect those with their lives. When they give it to someone, it is often only to the closest people or for a noble occasion. India’s two batting stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma gave the grandest parting gift to their beloved coach Ravi Shastri, whose tenure ended with the T20 World Cup campaign.
After the team meeting following the win against Namibia on Monday, Ravi Shastri and Virat Kohli were emotional. The two strong men of the Indian dressing room have shared a wonderful relation, steering the Indian team to World No 1 Test ranking for 42 months while winning Test series in Australia twice, West Indies, Sri Lanka and leading against England 2-1.
T20 World Cup: Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma give grand send-off to Ravi Shastri, gift their bat – Watch video
After Sourav Ganguly-John Wright, MS Dhoni-Gary Kirsten, Virat Kohli-Ravi Shastri captain and coach pair became one of the most successful pairs in Indian cricket. During this time, India saw the emergence of India’s pace battery with the likes of Mohammed Sirah, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Navdeep Saini, T Natarajan emerging through the ranks. The team became one of the best fielding teams in the world that could trump New Zealand in New Zealand (T20s) while also beating South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Australia during his tenure.
T20 World Cup: Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma give grand send-off to Ravi Shastri, gift their bat – Watch video
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Hence, at the end of the seven-year relation, it was expected that the dressing room would have overwhelming emotions. While Shastri thanked each member of the team by their name, Indian players — juniors and seniors combined. The match also marked the end of the Shastri-Kohli era as skipper Virat Kohli announced he will step down from T20 captaincy after the T20 World Cup.
The source informed InsideSport that Shastri thanked the captain for all his support. ‘It was a heck of a journey captain, Thank you for the ride.’
T20 World Cup: Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma give grand send-off to Ravi Shastri, gift their bat – Watch video
What did India achieve under Kohli-Shastri Era?
- Border Gavaskar Trophy win (2018-19): Under the duo’s guidance, India scripted history by becoming the first Asian team to beat Australia in a Test series in their own backyard.
- Second successive Test series triumph in Australia (2020-21): Though Kohli was not around for the full duration of the tour, Shastri and his stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane guided the team admirably in the absence of the regular skipper, as India defeated Australia to clinch the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the second successive time.
- World Test Championship final (2021): India made it to the final of the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship under the captaincy of Kohli and Shastri’s guidance. However, Virat Kohli & Co. lost the final by eight wickets as New Zealand were crowned champions.
- ODI World Cup semi-final (2019): India were the best team in the group stages of the 2019 ICC World Cup and had topped the points table. However, the Men in Blue faced a heartbreaking defeat against New Zealand in the semi-final to bow out of the tournament
- India lead England in Test Series 2021: With the duo of Kohli and Shastri calling the shots, India took a 2-1 lead in the five-match series against England earlier this year before the rubber was suspended due to COVID-19 outbreak in the Indian camp.
- Under Shastri’s watch, India won a T20I series in South Africa, New Zealand, England and Australia.* Shastri also oversaw a 3-0 whitewash of Sri Lanka in 2017, the first time they achieved such a feat.
- India beat West Indies in Caribbean: India also inflicted a whitewash on the West Indies in a Test series in the Caribbean for the first time.
- Potent Pace Attack: During their time, India formed a potent pace bowling unit that shone in all conditions and against the best in the world.
- 42 months at the top of Test ranking: Under coach Shastri and skipper Kohli, the Indian team became a force to reckon with in Test cricket, holding on to the number one ranking in the world for 42 months from 2016 to 2020.
- The two first got together in 2014 for a Test match at Adelaide after then skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was banned from the game, paving the way for Kohli to lead the team.
- Dhoni led in the next two matches in Brisbane and Melbourne but after his sudden decision to retire from the traditional format, Kohli was made full-time captain of the Test team.
- Shastri became the director of the Indian cricket team in 2014 for a period of eight months from India’s tour of England till the 2015 World Cup.
- Shastri was removed in 2016 but on July 13, 2017, he was appointed the head coach of the Indian team, reuniting with Kohli to forge a cracking partnership
