For many, Indian cricket coach Ravi Shastri's remark that the current lot led by Virat Kohli has already done things that many former big names could not accomplish in their careers was an indirect jab at former India captain Sourav Ganguly.
The latter, though, chose to respond to Shastri's remark in a softer way saying he did not have much to say on that and wished the coach the best and hoped that he would bring back the World Cup in 2019.
Tendulkar's India was thumped by the Lankan batsmen in 1997 series and they scored 952/6 declared
But Shastri, through his over-enthusiasm to highlight the accomplishment of his favourite captain Kohli at the expense of the former players, made a blunder he would never do knowingly. Among the former players is Sachin Tendulkar, another former Indian cricket captain who had also led his country against Sri Lanka in the island nation but did not get any success. In fact, Tendulkar's India could not even beat Sri Lanka at home, drawing all three games in the 1997-98 season.
Speaking about the performance of Tendulkar's India in the island nation, it was during the series in 1997 that he had led that the Lankans had amassed a mammoth 952 for six declared, making the Indian bowling a butt of joke in the cricketing world.
Ganguly had won at least one Test in Sri Lanka and that too, without a full team
Ganguly, on the other hand had at least led his team to a Test victory in Sri Lanka in 2001 even though India lost the series 1-2. Also, one needs to remember that Ganguly's team did not have the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble and VVS Laxman and yet it did not suffer a whitewash. Shastri's immediate predecessor Anil Kumble had also led an Indian side that lost 1-2 in a 2008 series.
Indian captains's record in Test series in Sri Lanka (from latest):
- Virat Kohli won two series in 2015 (2-1) and 2017 (2-0*)
- Mahendra Singh Dhoni drew a 3-game series 1-1 in 2010
- Anil Kumble lost a 3-game series 1-2 in 2008
- Sourav Ganguly lost a 3-game series 1-2 in 2001
- Sachin Tendulkar drew a 2-game series 0-0 in 1997
- Mohammad Azharuddin won a 3-game series 1-0 in 1993
- Kapil Dev lost a 3-game series 0-1 in 1985
* India and Sri Lanka are yet to play the third game of the series, starting at Pallekela on August 12
If Shastri wants to include one-day internationals in his argument, then also his fellow Maharashtrian stands exposed for it was in the same tour to Sri Lanka in 1997 that the hosts had bulldozed India 3-0 in a limited-over series. Another former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, on the other hand, led India to victory in an away series in Sri Lanka several times. Ganguly had also led India to the final of the Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka in 2002 though rain did not allow to choose a decisive winner and we had to share the laurels with the hosts.
Shastri should keep in mind that teams evolve under captains and it is a continuous tradition. The ploy of belittling previous generations for setting personal scores do not reflect well on an individual who is doing as coveted a job as coaching India's national cricket team. The former captains don't lose much but it is Shastri who makes a mockery of his own self.
