ENG vs IND | Shastri backs Dravid to take team India to greater heights under his term

Former Team India head coach Ravi Shastri has backed current head coach Rahul Dravid to take India to higher heights. While giving him the vote, Shastri said that Dravid had done a remarkable job.

"No better person to take over after me than Rahul. I got the job by mistake. I was in the commentary box, and I was asked to go there, and I did my bit. But Rahul is a guy who has come through the system and done the hard yards. He's been coach of the U-19 team, and then he has taken over the Indian team, and I think he will enjoy it once the team starts responding to what he says," Ravi Shastri said.

Under the tenure of Ravi Shastri, Team India became the best touring team in the world and won challenges in all conditions, apart from South Africa in the longer format of the game. However, despite not having won any World Cups, Shastri's time with the Indian team is considered revolutionary for his impact on the team. 

Along with Virat Kohli, he formed one of the most lethal pace attacks in modern cricket, which was able to dismantle batting line-ups while playing away from home.

Meanwhile, Ravi Shastri has also spoken about how one has to have a thick skin in this kind of job and said that the last thing he bothered about was the media.

"The last thing I was worried about was media. If the boys performed, the media will react the way you want. If you don't do well, they have a right to smash you, and if you do well, you will get the accolades," he again said.

"Our job was very simple, what the media did not like about Indian cricket. The fact was that we were bullies at home, and we didn't play great cricket when we were overseas. So the job for me with the team was to prove them wrong,"

"So, how are you going to do it? You sit with the team, you sit with Virat and say that we are going to take 20 wickets. As simple as that, take the pitch out of the equation," he further added as well.

Meanwhile, Rahul Dravid's tenure has had some unexpected challenges, where the coach having to deal with separate teams that too under several different captains as well. Moreover, important Indian players have been dropped due to injury for the current series and in the World Cup run-up. 

The head coach has also indicated that he will decide the initial squad for the world cup tournament after the England white-ball series, but it will be interesting to see how many players stay fit at that time of the mega event.