Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has opened up on why man-management is the key to coaching the players in international teams. Shastri forged a strong partnership with former captain Virat Kohli during his tenure as head coach as the duo worked with a similar mentality to take the Indian team to big heights. India became a force to reckon with in red-ball cricket during Shastri’s tenure as they beat Australia on back-to-back tours to win Border-Gavaskar Trophies. However, the one thing which he failed to achieve as a head coach was an ICC trophy. India reached the final of World Test Championship and the semifinal of 2019 World Cup during his tenure.
He was known for managing his players quite well as man management was the key to his success as the Indian coach.
The 60-year-old suggested that the players are not school kids but millionaires and all of them have a different mindset which is a reason why man-management plays a primary role in coaching. Talking about his own skill regarding it Shastri said he had it in him to manage the players during his tenure.
“(Yes) Man-management is the key, these are not school kids, they are millionaires, each one has a mindset of his own, how you deal with those players is extremely important. You should know how to crack the whip, when to speak to the guy and what platform, is it individual, one to one, that kind of experience in not bought and sold in the market. You have got to have it. I think, I had it," Shastri said at a ‘Meet-the-media programme’ at the Mumbai Press Club.
During the Shastri-Kohli era, Yo-Yo test grabbed the limelight as every player had to pass it to be considered for the selection. The fitness standard in the team was increased with its introduction.
Shastri suggested that it played a key role in creating awareness in players’ mind which he feels is lacking a bit in recent times as India have leaked big runs in the last few months in the shortest format due to lacklustre fielding.
“The emphasis on fitness becomes very critical. In my time we had the Yo-Yo test. A lot of people laughed at it. The test was never for selection, it was for creating awareness among the players. It made a massive difference, not just in the way they played, but the way they moved on the field," he said. “What is worrying (now) is the number of times you have allowed the opposition to score over 200 runs in the last few months. People will blame the bowling, but it is also the fielding," he added.
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