Shastri happy to see memes on him bring smile to hundreds

Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], March 7 (ANI): India head coach Ravi Shastri on Sunday addressed the memes which are constantly made on him and he said that it is all a ‘good banter’ and he is not bothered by such stuff.
For meme creators, Shastri has been a favourite as there has been a lot of content on social media regarding the Indian coach’s love for a drink. The netizens are also quick to pound on Shastri whenever the team loses a match.
“I would say it’s banter all the way. They do it to have fun, it’s at my expense, but okay, have a laugh yaar. How does it matter? If I drink nimbu paani (lemon water) or I have milk honey, you enjoy your drink yaar, at my expense na, when you post that kind of memes, how many people have a laugh? so many get happy, you enjoy that stuff. As long as the team does well,” said Shastri during a virtual press conference on Sunday.
“So much cricket is played. It all revolves around performance, if you do well, you will get the accolades. If you don’t, you would be criticised,” he added.
When asked about his growth as a coach, Shastri said: “When I got this role, I did not know what would be the end tale in this. I have learnt so much in the last six years, I have not experienced this in the last 35 years. Man management is of utmost importance and it is also a key as to how you understand human behaviour and how different individuals react. How someone reacts to failure and success when you need to talk to someone. This is a big group, to understand the mindset and make it work as a cohesive unit, you need to be able to understand mindsets.”
“It is not easy, in our country, players come from different states and backgrounds. It took me time to understand all this but I was always clear. People forget the role Virat Kohli has played. If me and Virat were not aligned in terms of mindset then nothing would have happened. Virat was on the same page as me, he wanted professionalism, work ethics and high fitness standards. He wanted energy that was positive and channelised towards playing cricket. No excuses, win or lose, take ownership if you messed up rather than pointing fingers. This team does not give excuses. It’s not about I, it’s about WE. Everyone worked together. I see team spirit there, I have not seen anything like this in the last seven years,” he added.
Team India on Saturday roared into the final of the inaugural edition of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) following an emphatic 3-1 series win over England.
Virat Kohli’s men, who defeated England in the fourth and final Test by an innings and 25 runs at the Narendra Modi Stadium, will now face New Zealand in the WTC final slated to be played from June 18 to 22, with June 23 as the reserve day at the iconic Lord’s Stadium in London. (ANI)