India's head coach Ravi Shastri spoke about his "great" equation with captain Virat Kohli. Time and again, Shastri has left no opportunity to praise the current lot of cricketers. Words keep flowing just like how runs gush out of Kohli's willow.
The latest comments from 55-year-old Shastri might not go down well with India's former cricketers. In an interview to "CNN-News18", he said, "we don't go there to do time-pass". Is he hinting that others were doing it?
Also read: Anil Kumble speaks on 'WhatsApp group with journalists'
"Equation (with Kohli) is great. We are similar personalities like you mentioned. There is an element of trust in our relationship. We are both strong-minded and both play to win at all costs. We play to win. We don't go there to do time-pass.
"This is not a team that is out there to fill up the numbers. We want to compete. We want to take the game forward. He is pretty similar in his mindset when it comes to that and he is in your face kind of character. With Virat Kohli what you see is what you get," Shastri said.
Also read: Kumble backs Kohli-led team to create history in South Africa
Agreed that both Kohli and Shastri are "strong-minded". However, can Shastri reveal which player or team will go to a cricket field to do "time-pass". Did the past Indian cricketers, greats go out to do "time-pass"?
India, in the past may not have won many matches abroad, but nobody can question the players' commitment. Did Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Sourav Ganguly, MS Dhoni and others not try hard to win?
Shastri also said the current Indian team is not there to "full up the numbers". When he was representing India, did he go there to "fill up the numbers"?
In 2014, batting legend Gavaskar had slammed Shastri's "non-sense" during Australia's tour. Shastri, who the Team Director then, had said the side's "mindset to win" mattered and not the result.
"I give two hoots if it is 3-0 or 4-0. Only mindset matters. We are going to Sydney (4th Test venue) to win," Shastri had said in Australia.
For this, Gavaskar had commented, "To think we backed off is utter nonsense." He also said players Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman and others always competed to win.
Whoever plays the sport, always enters the field to compete hard and achieve success. The current Indian side might be riding high on amazing victories but bigger tests await in 2018, starting in South Africa.
Shastri needs to be careful as to what he talks while singing hosannas to Kohli and co. And the head coach should be reminded again and again that nobody goes to do "time-pass". If he has seen any, let him tell the cricket world.
