Ravi Shastri opens up on his alleged spat with Sourav Ganguly in 2016, proximity to Virat Kohli and more

Team India bid farewell to one of its most successful coaches in the past decade, as Ravi Shastri brought his successful seven-year stint to an end. He stepped down from the role following India's failed outing in the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup, being played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), while he could not help India win an ICC title.

Days after winding up his duties, Shastri spoke to renowned journalist Arnab Goswami in Republic TV's Nation Wants to Know show. During the interaction, Goswami pondered on the issue back in 2016 when it was alleged that Shastri had a rift with Sourav Ganguly during his interview for the head coach position.

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Clarifying it, Shastri said that Ganguly was his buddy, while there are clashes occasionally owing to different thoughts. However, he explained that he had known Ganguly from a young age, back when he used to play for Tata Steel when Shastri used to be the skipper during the Times Shield tournament back then.

Shastri was asked if he was humiliated by Ganguly, who was junior to him, as the latter was a part of the Cricket Advisory Committee. He elaborated that the latter was missing when his turn came up during his meeting with the committee, which consisted of Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Ganguly. Consequently, he felt disrespectful, while he asserted that he had every right to say it.

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However, he further attested that he let go of things quickly and recorded, "I am a guy who can let things go very easily. I am not the kind of guy who keeps anything inside and waits for the day when I can jump on that person or something. I have never been that kind of guy because when you have that kind of attitude, in a team sport, it becomes a problem."

On being asked about the allegations of duopoly between him and Virat Kohli, he rubbished the claims, stating that he does not give ears to such baseless reports. At the same time, he focuses on what happens in the dressing room, and the results matter to him. "People can speculate, people can write but, what the team writes on the scorecard is what will be etched in everyone's memory, not what people write. I want facts", he affirmed.

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Speaking on his decision to step down, Shastri reckoned that he was satisfied with his stint so far and applauded the team for its unreal achievements under him. However, he also made a controversial remark, stating that he was judged for the last seven years while his image was also under public scrutiny.

"I was judged for seven years of my life that was under public scrutiny. Time for me to sit on the judge's chair and judge some of these people. To take the bullet is the job of the coach. You overcome all those hurdles; you don't let it pull you down. Take criticism along the way and move on," he declared.

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He further slammed the critics and said that those in the media were unaware of the potential the current Indian team possesses. While he labelled the team as the "greatest team", he slammed the media for calling his statements "bold and bombastic".