Ravi Shastri arrived in Test cricket as a left-arm spinner who batted in the lower order and left as an opening batter with a double century in Australia. Along the way he hit six sixes in an over, was named Champion of Champions at the 1985 World Championship of Cricket and played 80 Tests and 150 one-day internationals before injury forced him out at 31. Decades later he returned to the dressing room as India’s head coach and oversaw two Test series wins in Australia.
Name: Ravishankar Jayadritha Shastri | Born: 27 May 1962, Bombay | Sport: Cricket | Position: All-rounder: right-handed batter and slow left-arm orthodox bowler
A teenage call-up to New Zealand
Shastri came through Bombay’s school cricket system and was still only 18 when he was flown out to New Zealand in early 1981 as a replacement during India’s tour. He made his Test debut at Wellington on 21 February 1981 and took three wickets in four balls in the second innings. By the end of the short series he had 15 wickets, and his place in the Indian side was established. He would play county cricket for Glamorgan from 1987 to 1991.
From the tail to the top of the order
What made Shastri unusual was how his batting developed. He began low in the order and worked his way steadily upwards through sheer determination, until he was opening the innings in Tests and one-day internationals. He was never the most fluent stroke-maker, and critics sometimes called his batting slow, but he had a sound defence, a good temperament and the ability to bat for long periods.
The high point came at Sydney in January 1992, when he scored 206 against Australia, his highest Test score. He finished his Test career with 3,830 runs at 35.79, including 11 centuries, and took 151 wickets with a best of 5 for 75.
Six sixes and a record double century
In January 1985, playing for Bombay against Baroda in the Ranji Trophy, Shastri hit left-arm spinner Tilak Raj for six sixes in an over, equalling Sir Garfield Sobers’s first-class record. He went on to an unbeaten 200 in 113 minutes, the fastest double century in first-class cricket at the time.
Champion of Champions in Australia
Shastri was part of the squad that won the 1983 World Cup, but his best international tournament came two years later. At the 1985 World Championship of Cricket in Australia, India won every match under Sunil Gavaskar, and Shastri was named Champion of Champions as the player of the tournament. His prize was an Audi 100 car, which the whole team climbed onto during a lap of honour at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. In all he played 150 one-day internationals, scoring 3,108 runs and taking 129 wickets, with a best of 5 for 15.
Captain for one Test
Shastri captained India in a single Test, at Madras in the 1987-88 series against West Indies, when Dilip Vengsarkar was injured. India won the match. A recurring knee injury ended his playing career early, and he retired from first-class cricket in September 1994 at the age of 31.
Broadcaster, director and head coach
Shastri began work as a television commentator in March 1995 and became one of the most recognisable voices in the game. In 2014 he was appointed director of the Indian team for the period from the tour of England to the 2015 World Cup. On 13 July 2017 he was named head coach, was reappointed in August 2019 and stayed in the role until the 2021 T20 World Cup.
Under his coaching, India won a Test series in Australia for the first time in 2018-19 and repeated the feat in 2020-21, the second win coming despite a string of injuries and the absence of several senior players for much of the series.
Career record and honours
- Tests: 80 matches, 3,830 runs, average 35.79, 11 centuries, highest score 206, 151 wickets, best 5 for 75
- One-day internationals: 150 matches, 3,108 runs, 129 wickets, best 5 for 15
- Test debut: 21 February 1981 v New Zealand, Wellington
- Six sixes in an over and 200 not out in 113 minutes, Bombay v Baroda, January 1985
- Champion of Champions, 1985 World Championship of Cricket
- World Cup winner, 1983
- Captained India in one Test, Madras, 1987-88 (won)
- County cricket: Glamorgan, 1987-1991
- India team director, 2014-2015; head coach, 2017-2021
- Test series wins in Australia as head coach, 2018-19 and 2020-21
