Ravi Shastri's Incredible Coaching Stint Comes To An End

The Indian cricket team is all set to begin a new chapter from tomorrow when Rahul Dravid takes over the coaching duties from India's best coach, Ravi Shastri. 

While people might say India's lack of ICC Trophies and Super 12 elimination from the T20 World Cup 2021 sums up Shastri's coaching stint but in reality, it has been the period of domination of Indian cricket. 

Ever since Ravi Shastri took over the role on 13th July 2017, he knew what he was doing. Even when Sourav Ganguly offered Zaheer Khan and Rahul Dravid as bowling and batting coach for India, Shastri was adamant to have Bharat Arun as the full-time bowling coach. 

After four years of Shastri and Arun, it must be said, he was right. India has become the bowling powerhouse under them. The bowling bench strength, especially the fast bowlers have become match-winners - a department where India lacked massively. 

Since 2017, Indian bowlers have taken the most wickets across all formats - 1717 at an average of 27.47 and a strike rate of 38.5. Indian fast bowlers have taken 1011 wickets in these four years across formats - second best after England, at an average of 27.11 and strike rate of 37.2. 

Indian fast bowlers used to struggle to pick wickets away from home. From the start of the decade till the end of Anil Kumble's tenure, Indian pacers picked 674 wickets in 461 innings at an average of 33.99 and a strike rate of 47.5. Since Shastri's take over, fast bowlers have picked 571 wickets in 377 innings while averaging 27.81 and strike rate of 41.3 outside India across formats. 

Coming back to Ravi Shastri as a coach, India has been one of the most consistent teams in every format. India's all-format win percentage is 64.02 - the best among all teams since 2017. Under Duncan Fletcher, it was 53.8 while Gary Kirsten's stint saw India winning 58.33% matches across formats. 

India has won 58.14% of games under Shastri in test matches - only New Zealand is above with 66.67% wins. Under Fletcher, it had become 33.33% while Kirsten's tenure saw India winning 48.48% of matches. 

The test wins have not only come in India but outside the country as well. Shastri's India won 48.14% of test matches away from home - the best win percentage for any team away from since 2017. India won a test series in Australia for the first time ever under him in 2018 and again in 2020-21. India is currently leading the test series in England 2-1 (one match remaining). 

When Fletcher led, India only managed to win two games out of 24 and lost 15 away from home. Under Kirsten, India won six games out of 14 outside India, lost four, and drew four. 

While so much has been said about India not being able to win an ICC trophy, yet India under Shastri saw the team topping the 2019 World Cup group stage - a round-robin format, only to lose in the Semifinals and reach the final of the World Test Championship, again while topping the points table with 12 wins out of 17 - most points and best point percentage.  

Also Read: T20 World Cup 2021

The incredible consistency cannot be undermined by one or two matches. Ravi Shastri might not get the credit he deserves, but he will step down as the best coach India had to date.