OTD | Former Indian all-rounder and head coach Ravi Shastri was born in 1962

On this day, back in 1962, former India all-rounder Ravi Shastri was born, and he has taken the Indian cricket team to new heights and glory. He played from 1981 to 1992 in both Test matches and ODIs and guided some of the epic wins for India. In addition, the star all-rounder was a crucial part of the 1983 World Cup, when the Kapil Dev-led side defeated the strong West Indies to win their first-ever title. 

Ravi Shastri made his name when he was selected as the Champion of Champions in the World Championship of Cricket in Australia back in 1985. In the same season, the star cricketer equalled six sixes in an over in first-class cricket. Meanwhile, Shastri has played for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy during his career, while he has played four editions of county cricket for Glamorgan.

However, Shastri was forced to retire at the age of just 31 owing to some of his grave injuries.But in 1995, following his retirement, he made his television commentary debut at the World Masters Tournament in Mumbai. Ravi Shastri was later appointed as the head coach of the Cricket Advisory Committee in July 2017. However, the star all-rounder was appointed as the head coach of the senior men’s Indian team on August 16, 2019; however, Virat Kohli-led India failed to win the title under his coaching skills, and his contract ended when the Men in Blue failed to reach the semi-finals of the 2021 T20 World Cup held in Dubai.

However, for the same reason, Ravi Shastri retired from being the coach of the Indian National Cricket team and joined Legends League Cricket as the commissioner of the league. In addition, the legendary cricketer recently won the C.K. Naydu Lifetime Achievement Award at the Indian cricket team’s annual award show NAMAN on June 24, 2024.

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