Delhi

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri never shies away from speaking his mind. While exclusively speaking to The Week, the 61-year-old shed light on the need of having a smooth transition in different formats of the game. Shastri also talked about adding youngsters to the T20 team as the Indian Premier League has shown the abundance of talent in the country. “There are seniors ready to be phased out and there are youngsters ready, no question about it when it comes to T20 cricket. Lesser in 50-over cricket and even fewer in Test match cricket. Due to the IPL, there are a lot of high-quality youngsters available,” Shastri said.

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The Australian example

Citing the example of the Australian cricket team and Adam Gilchrist, Ravi Shastri also explained why it is important to effortlessly pass the baton from one skipper to the other. Addressing the fact that a lot has been said and written about the Indian team in different formats, Shastri explained the case of Australia. He said that during the time of Ian Healy, Australia also took a tough but positive call at the right time. Healy was in good form and could have played more but Australian team management saw potential in Adam Gilchrist.

While talking about Team India, Ravi Shastri talked about the importance of creating a perfect mix of youth and experience. The former head coach believes that young crickets should not be just injected into the team for the sake of it. They should be good enough to compete and be on the heels of the experienced player. He further added that young talent is being nurtured through the IPL.

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Ravi Shastri on clear communication

Ravi Shastri wants the selectors and team management to have a clear line of communication with the team. This will not only help the players in understanding their roles well but will help in a smooth transition between the squads.

Team India failed to win their maiden World Test Championship (WTC) after suffering a defeat at the hands of Australia earlier this month. The Rohit Sharma-led side will kick off the new WTC cycle with a two-match series against West Indies. The Test series between India and West Indies is scheduled to start from July 12.