Ravi Shastri

Ravishankar ("Ravi") Jayadritha Shastri (born 1962-05-27 in Mumbai (Bombay), India) is a former Indian cricketer. He was an all–rounder who batted right–handed and bowled left arm spin. His international career started when he was 18 years old and lasted 12 years. He started his career purely as a bowler but gradually became more of a batsman who could bowl.

The glorious winter

In October 1984, India toured Pakistan for the third time in six years. The Lahore Test saw India collapse to 156 against Pakistan's 428, and follow on. India went into the last day trailing by 92 with six wickets in hand but were saved by a fifth wicket partnership of 126 between Shastri and Mohinder Amarnath. Shastri scored 71, while Amarnath made 101*. Shastri was even more successful in the next Test at Faisalabad, where he scored 139 and shared a stand of 200 with Sandip Patil. The last Test and the remainder of the tour were cancelled because of the assassination of Indira Gandhi.

Related Topics:
1984 - India - Pakistan - Lahore - Pakistan - Follow on - Partnership - Mohinder Amarnath - Faisalabad - Sandip Patil - Indira Gandhi

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There were already signals that Shastri was being groomed as a future captain. Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar was coming to the end of his career and Kapil Dev, who had led India in the previous season, was expected to succeed him. Shastri appeared to be the next in line. He led the Young India side to Zimbabwe in early 1984. Against the touring English side in November, he led the India Under–25 to an innings win - the first defeat of England in a tour match in India for fifty years.

Related Topics:
Sunil Gavaskar - Kapil Dev - 1984 - England

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Around this time, Shastri also began to open the innings regularly in one day games. He scored 102 against Australia in October – India's second hundred in ODIs – and made the same score against England at Cuttack in December. Shastri had stood in for Gavaskar and opened with Srikkanth in two matches of the 1983 World Cup. The third time that they opened, they set a world record of 188 for the first wicket. Later in the season, this partnership was to form the foundation for the Indian triumph in the WCC in Australia.

Related Topics:
One day games - India - England - Cuttack - 1983 World Cup

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Shastri's success continued in Test matches against England. In the Bombay Test his 235 run stand with wicket-keeper Syed Kirmani led to victory for India (it is still the national record for the seventh wicket). His 142 improved upon the 139 at Faisalabad as his highest score.

Related Topics:
Bombay - Wicket-keeper - Syed Kirmani

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In the third Test at Calcutta, Shastri made 111 in 357 balls and 455 minutes, though his innings was heavily interrupted by rain. With Azharuddin, he added 214 for the fifth wicket, another Indian record. When India started the second innings late in the final day, he was sent in to open, thus becoming one of the few batsmen to bat on all five days of a Test.

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Shastri set another record when Bombay beat Baroda in a West Zone Ranji match, despite a draw looking the likely result. His first hundred came up in 72 minutes and 80 balls and included nine fours and four sixes. The second took just 41 minutes and 43 balls. The 113 minute double hundred is the fastest in first class history, beating the previous record by 7 minutes. Six of the sixes came off a single over of the left arm spinner Tilak Raj. In terms of the number of sixes, it bettered the 58 year old Indian record of CK Nayudu who had struck 11 sixes for Hindus against a touring MCC team at Bombay Gymkhana in 1926–7. Shastri's unfinished sixth wicket stand of 204* with Ghulam Parkar, who contributed only 33 to the partnership but wad dropped four times, took only 83 minutes. In Baroda's second innings, Shastri took two wickets in four overs. {{ref|IC85}}

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