Indian coach Ravi Shastri squashed all rumors of a rift with BCCI President Sourav Ganguly, stating that such speculations are just a part of the mirch and masala dished out by the Indian media.
“What he (Ganguly) has done has a cricketer, I have got utmost respect. He took over Indian cricket at the most troubled times, post the match-fixing era when the Indian cricket was in shambles. You needed the faith of the people to come back and I respect that. And if people don’t respect that, to hell with them,” Shastri said during India Today’s program “Inspiration.”
The talks of a rift between the two became a topic of much discussion after the BCCI-appointed Cricket Advisory Committee comprising Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Ganguly preferred Anil Kumble as the head coach of Team India in 2016, with the Prince of Bengal and Shastri having a public fallout.
“Oustanding (Sourav as BCCI President). First of all, I am thrilled that there is a BCCI in place. We played three years without a BCCI. which allowed the ICC to take off to another level.”
The Mumbai player also spoke about the trolls that time to time take to social media and troll him for his flamboyant lifestyle. “What is this social media, this troll? I post, my fans, they read, thank you very much…uske baad bhaad mai gaya jo.. (go to hell). It is just to tell my fans, I am here and what I am doing. Bolne waale bolenege (critics will never be quiet). We are a country of 1.2 billion people. People who do not have any work, they will speak,” Shastri said in a typical answer.
“You point one at me, there are three fingers pointing back at you, always remember that. So you’re not here to get intimidated by nobody. This Indian team hates losing. Why? Because they know they can win anywhere. No one hates losing more than Virat Kohli and the coach.” he added.
