India have had some great results in Australia in the last few years.© Twitter

After being snubbed from T20I captaincy, former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri laid down the future path for the star Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya, advising him to play as much as possible and find inspiration to keep his fitness at top-level in his recent ICC T20 World Cup heroics, where Men in Blue ended their 11-year-long ICC trophy drought. Having acted as deputy to Rohit Sharma in India’s triumphant ICC Men’s T20 World Cup campaign, Pandya was one of the front-runners to take over the mantle once Rohit retired from the format.

However, when the squad for the current Sri Lanka tour was announced, Hardik was listed only as a player, with Suryakumar Yadav being named as India’s T20I captain and Shubman Gill as the vice-captain.

Ultimately, it was Hardik’s ongoing fitness issues that cost him the captaincy. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar said in the pre-tour press conference that they preferred a player whose availability was consistently reliable, thus tilting the scales away from Hardik.

In the latest edition of The ICC Review, Shastri offered valuable advice to Hardik on how he can return to his peak performance.

“I think (it is) very important that he continues to play,” Shastri said while speaking to host Sanjana Ganesan, as quoted by the ICC.

“I believe match fitness is very important. So whatever T20I cricket there is, he should play as much as he can. And if he feels strong and fit, then obviously he comes into the side for the one-day game as well.”

“But then again, the bowling becomes important. If you have someone coming and bowling just three overs in where you have to bowl 10 in a one-day game, then the balance of the side takes a hit.”

“If you can bowl consistently eight to 10 overs every game and then bat the way he does, I think he’ll play in one-day cricket as well,” he concluded his point.

Hardik has had a long-standing battle with major injuries that date back to 2018.

During India’s high-voltage clash against Pakistan that year at the Asia Cup in Dubai, Pandya collapsed after bowling, clutching his back in agony and had to be stretchered off the field. A diagnosis revealed a stress fracture that necessitated surgery and extensive rehabilitation.

Pandya chose to recover without surgery and managed to get fit in time for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019. However, his back issues resurfaced later that year, ultimately requiring him to undergo surgery.

More recently, Hardik sustained an ankle injury while attempting to field the ball on follow-through during India’s Cricket World Cup 2023 encounter against Bangladesh.

This injury sidelined him for an extended period, and he only returned to international action during the T20 World Cup.

Upon his return, Hardik reminded everyone of his exceptional talent as an all-rounder, scoring crucial runs and taking important wickets throughout the tournament. In the T20 World Cup, Pandya scored 144 runs in six innings at an average of 48.00 and a strike rate of 151.57, with a half-century and best score of 50*. He also took 11 wickets in eight games at an average of 17.36 and an economy rate of 7.64, with the best figures of 3/20.

In the final, Hardik delivered under pressure, taking the crucial wickets of the dangerous Heinrich Klaasen and then David Miller in the last over, helping to end India’s 11-year trophy drought.

The 30-year-old then collected two wickets and scored a valuable 22* during India’s series-clinching victory over Sri Lanka in Pallekele on Sunday to further showcase his credentials.

Shastri said that his recent performances would be enough motivation for Hardik to get back to full fitness.

“So I think it is up to him really, more than anything else,” Shastri added.

“He understands his body better than anyone. And I am sure, this will inspire him, especially with the way he did in the World Cup, the way he performed at the right times for India and the World Cup, so that should really get him going. He should not need any motivation to get his fitness right at the top,” he concluded.

Gautam Gambhir is kick off his reign as head coach of the Indian team on Saturday when the Suryakumar Yadav-led side take on Sri Lanka in the first T20I of a three-match series. Gambhir replaced former India captain Rahul Dravid at the helm after his contract expired at the end of last month. Since then, a lot has been said and written about Gambhir’s appointment, and what he will bring into the table. Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has shared his views on Gambhir’s appointment. Shastri passed over the baton to Dravid after the end of the T20 World Cup in 2021.

While the Indian team did not win an ICC trophy during his tenure, the team, under the leadership of Virat Kohli, reached new heights in Test cricket, including back-to-back Test series wins in Australia.

While Gambhir has not had any coaching experience in the IPL, he did work as a mentor with several franchises, and masterminded KKR’s title-winning campaign earlier this year.

However, Shastri feels that a young coach like Gambhir will bring a fresh approach into this Indian side.

“He’s contemporary, he just had a great season in the IPL. I think he’s the right age where he’s young, he’ll come with fresh ideas. He knows most of the players, especially in the white-ball format, having been part of teams in the IPL. So I think it’s refreshing,” Shastri said on The ICC Review Show.

Shastri added that while Gambhir is a no-nonsense guy, player management will be key during his tenure.

“And we know with Gautam, he’s a no-nonsense guy. He’ll have his ideas as well. And the good thing for him is he’s got a mature team. He’s got a settled team, a mature team. I think even though you might think you’re mature, you might benefit from some fresh ideas. So I think it’ll be interesting times. Obviously, player management becomes the key as a coach. So it’ll be interesting to see how he goes. I think he’s got the tools, he’s got the goods for the job and he’s got the experience.”

“It’s a question of just understanding his players as quickly as possible. What their strengths are, what kind of human beings they are and what kind of temperaments do they have? What are their personalities? A lot goes behind the scenes to understand a human being,” added Shastri.

“I think that will be his most important task, which I think again should not be a problem because he’s contemporary. He’s seen these guys from the outside, he’s dealt with a lot of guys who might have played with KKR as well and for Lucknow (Super Giants) when he was there.”

It’s been more than a week since India defeated England in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup in Guyana, avenging their 10-wicket defeat to the same side two years back at the same stage. The Rohit Sharma-led side also defeated South Africa last Saturday to clinch the T20 World Cup title in Barbados. Following Afghanistan’s crushing loss to South Africa in the other semi-final, former England captain Michael Vaughan had accused the organisers for favouring India, questioning the scheduling of the tournament.

Vaughan took to social media to highlight that the Afghanistan players had faced a flight delay while travelling to Trinidad, having played their final Super Eight match of the tournament a day prior.

He also lashed out at the ICC for disrespecting Afghanistan, while also putting the blame on the alleged India-centric scheduling.

“So Afghanistan qualified for the WC semi, winning in St Vincent on Monday night .. 4 hr flight delay on Tues to Trinidad so no time to practice or get accustomed to a new venue .. utter lack of respect to players, i am afraid,” Vaughan had written in a post.

Now, former India head coach Ravi Shastri has given a befitting reply to Vaughan over his allegations of the tournament being rigged for India, as far as the scheduling is concerned.

During a recent interaction, Shastri took a jibe Vaughan, questioning if his “colleague” ever lifted a World Cup trophy.

“Michael Vaughan can say what he wants. Nobody in India cares. Let him sort out the England team first. He should give advice on what happened to the England team in the semifinal. India are used to lifting Cups. I know England have won twice, but India have won four times. I don’t think Michael’s lifted a Cup ever. So think twice. He is a colleague of mine, but that’s my answer to him,” Shastri told Times Now.

Speaking on Suryakumar’s much-debated catch in the final, Shastri silenced the haters, saying: “Sour grapes. And go and check the record books after five years. The name India will be engraved on it.”

Virat Kohli‘s continued poor form in the ongoing 2024 T20 World Cup has brought in opinions from several cricketers, experts and fans alike. However, few people have seen Kohli’s game from up close better than former India coach Ravi Shastri. Shastri and Kohli shared a great bond as coach and captain of Team India in all formats. After Kohli’s failure against England in the semi-final, Shastri said that he should stick to his natural game without trying to be overly aggressive.

“This is not his game. He’s going too early for it, especially with Rohit Sharma playing aggressively at the other end,” opined Shastri, speaking on Star Sports.

“He is more orthodox, but he can make up quite easily if he spends more time at the crease,” said Shastri.

Against England, Kohli had hit a six off Reece Topley in the third over. However, just two balls later, Kohli had to walk back to the dugout as he misjudged the ball while trying to play big towards mid-wicket.

“When he tries to get out of his zone, he will get out in that fashion,” Shastri said.

“He has tried to manufacture shots that are not there. You should do that when you’re in top form, when you’ve got 300 runs in the competition. When you’re looking to break free when the runs are not there, it’s not easy. The key word is rhythm,” Shastri added.

Despite Kohli’s failure with the bat, his opening partner Rohit Sharma scored a brilliant 39-ball 57. Along with Suryakumar Yadav‘s 47 off 36 balls and handy cameos at the back end, India posted 171 in 20 overs on a tricky, wet Guyana pitch.

“I think Kohli should’ve played like Kohli has done for a decade,” said former English cricketer Nasser Hussain.

Having made just 75 runs in seven innings so far, Kohli will be aiming for a royal finish to the 2024 T20 World Cup with a big score in the final against South Africa, in Barbados on June 29.

Representative image© AFP

The ICC on Friday announced some of the biggest names in cricket and broadcasting, including former India coach Ravi Shastri and the legendary Sunil Gavaskar, as part of a robust commentary panel for next month’s T20 World Cup. The T20 World Cup will be co-hosted by the USA and the West Indies from June 2 till 29. Dinesh Karthik, who retired from all forms of cricket after his team Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL campaign, has also been named in the commentary panel list.

Leading the commentary team are stalwarts such as Shastri, Nasser Hussain, Ian Smith, Mel Jones, Harsha Bhogle and Ian Bishop.

Adding to the insights on the modern game, the team will be joined by former men’s and women’s T20 World Cup champions such as Karthik, Ebony Rainford-Brent, Samuel Badree, Carlos Brathwaite, Steve Smith, Aaron Finch and Lisa Sthalekar.

Former 50-over World Cup winners Ricky Ponting, Gavaskar, Matthew Hayden, Ramiz Raja, Eoin Morgan, Tom Moody and Wasim Akram will also be lending their expert analysis to the upcoming tournament.

Making his World Cup debut, American commentator James O’Brien – better known as Jomboy – will aim to add context to the games for the American audiences.

The other big names in the team include Dale Steyn, Graeme Smith, Michael Atherton, Waqar Younis, Simon Doull, Shaun Pollock and Katey Martin alongside renowned cricketing names in broadcasting such as Mpumelelo Mbangwa, Natalie Germanos, Danny Morrison, Alison Mitchell, Alan Wilkins, Brian Murgatroyd, Mike Haysman, Ian Ward, Athar Ali Khan, Russel Arnold, Niall O’Brien, Kass Naidoo and former West Indies skipper Daren Ganga.

ICC will provide extensive coverage of the tournament across the 28 days of action with a pre-match show, an innings interval programme and a post-match wrap-up.

Building on the success of the vertical feed at the ICC men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, ICC TV will introduce an AI-supported vertical feed for the T20 World Cup.

This innovative feature, produced in collaboration with Disney Star, Quidich Innovation Labs, and NEP, will be a first for cricket.