Ravi Shastri reveals 'jealous people in India' wanted him to fail as coach

Ravi Shastri had an eventful seven-year stint as Team India head coach. However, he has revealed that some people were willing him to fail.

Former Team India head coach Ravi Shastri leads a stress-free life after seven years of intense experience as the Team India head coach. While he saw both ups and downs of the side, he failed to lead India to an International Cricket Council (ICC) title win. Meanwhile, he has revealed that many people did not want him to fare well in his role.

Shastri recently spoke to England-based daily The Guardian, where he was asked about how Robert Key should go ahead with the role of the Director of Cricket for England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). Shastri drew a similar comparison to himself and Key, as both have excelled as commentators and do not have proper coaching degrees.

"I didn't have coaching badges. Level one? Level two? **** that. And, in a country like India, there is always jealousy or a gang of people willing you to fail. I had a thick skin, thicker than the leather of the Dukes ball you use. A real solid hide. And, you need a bloody hide over here. Rob will develop this as he does the job because every day, you are judged. And, I am glad he has a lot of captaincy experience from his time at Kent because communication with the players is paramount," Shastri told the tabloid.

"Rob may have more work with the domestic game, but it is very similar when it comes to the national team. The most important thing is getting among the players and setting a tone from the outset: What you believe in, what you think of them and changing the mindset to compete and win," reckoned Shastri.

Shastri backed Key to be aggressive and ruthless and to focus on the players' fitness levels. He also drew the example of India's tour of Australia, where he told his boys to give it back to the Aussies if they tried to get at them. He feels that Key should discuss how things work in the team with former English Test skipper Joe Root.

"Rob will have an adjustment period to understand the issues and will need to speak in detail with Joe Root about his experiences as Test captain. But, in my 24 years [as a commentator], I did not miss a beat or a ball of Indian cricket. And, he [Key] will have covered a huge amount too. So, you're not lagging by an inch. You're alongside what a team requires and what other teams are doing. You should be able to leapfrog over all those early issues and get into the nitty-gritty straight away," concluded Shastri.