'They haven't done a lot wrong. That's without some of their stars actually performing in that final.'
'He had a terrific World Cup back in India (2023) where he played beautifully in the middle-order and I actually felt then that he'd almost cemented that spot and made that his own.'
I was really surprised when he wasn't flown out even halfway through the series, two Test matches in.'
Shastri, speaking to Sanjana Ganesan on The ICC Review, suggested there's more to it than meets the eye.
'Pakistan can beat any team on any given day'
Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting says he has not seen a "better player" than Virat Kohli in ODIs, and backed the Indian batting star to go past the legendary Sachin Tendulkar as the highest run-getter in the 50-overs' format.
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting believes South Africa has a slight edge over New Zealand in their Champions Trophy semifinal clash.
Former Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting has weighed in on the heated exchange between India's Mohammed Siraj and Australia's Travis Head during the Adelaide Test
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has picked India as the favourites in Sunday's Champions Trophy summit clash against New Zealand, but hastened to add that the advantage will be miniscule, given that the Black Caps are a formidable side.
Virat Kohli and Steve Smith will be "dangerous" and "hungry" for runs in the remaining two Tests
Shubman Gill has made far too many changes in his batting approach, which is hindering his run-scoring ability on away tours, feels former Australian captain Ricky Pointing
Ravi Shastri believes Virat Kohli has the potential to turn around his poor form and prosper during the upcoming five-Test Border-Gavaskar series in Australia.
'We all knew he was dangerous, but that first shot he played off Jasprit Bumrah, that cover drive, off the front foot.' 'It told me that this is a player in prime, prime form.'
'He's actually batting the last 20 balls of an innings now, but still showing that you can make a big impact on the game by doing that.'
'I want him to get out there, smash it, try and win this Test match.'
Ricky Ponting though added that captaincy will be the "hardest thing" for the premier fast bowler.
Former India coach Ravi Shastri says the stylish batter should go in with a clear mindset, change his tactics, and attack the bowlers.
Australia's batting great Ricky Ponting on Friday said he was 'surprised' by the Indian camp's wording around Rohit Sharma's absence from the Sydney Test.
Shastri said India's coaching staff under head coach Gautam Gambhir will have to ensure that the players are in a "good state of mind" going into the five-Test affair starting on November 22 at Optus Stadium in Perth.
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting advised struggling batters Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith to trust their game akin to star India batter Virat Kohli.
"One stat stands out: 375,000 people coming through the gates in that Melbourne Test match, beating the record set 90 years ago of 350,000," Shastri said.
Can the young trio of Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Akash Deep leave a mark in the Border Gavaskar Trophy series?
'He pursued it, practised hard at it and continued to look for new things as his career progressed, to keep up with the times.'
'In my mind, it was very clear you can't do worse than that (Adelaide). You'll have a day when the luck is in your favour and you can bounce back. And that's exactly what happened.'
Australia legend Ricky Ponting believes a cheeky comment from India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal may have ignited Mitchell Starc's career-best performance during the second Test in Adelaide.
'I'm leaning towards McSweeney now for that opening role at the start of the Australian summer.'
For Shastri, India's recent successes in Test cricket have often been defined by the stubbornness and resilience of the tail-enders.
Rohit is on a paternity break and will miss the series-opener. Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is captaining the Indian team in his absence.
Former skipper Ricky Ponting predicted that the Baggy Greens will dominate the Rohit Sharma-led side in the five-match series.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir put up a stout defence of under-pressure skipper Rohit Sharma and star batter Virat Kohli ahead of tour of Australia.
'There might have been some fears a couple of years ago when the injuries come in and 'would he come back the same?', but I think he's actually come back better.'
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting reckoned that Joe Root could surpass batting legend Sachin Tendulkar's tally of runs in Test cricket.
Ravi Shastri is tipping the side he had coached to continue their recent dominance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Ricky Ponting feels that left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed could be a valuable addition in the Indian squad
India, who have returned victorious in both their previous Test assignments Down Under with identical margins of 2-1, will take on the world No.1 Australia in a five-Test series starting on November 22.
The only time cricket featured in the Olympics was in 1900 with two teams -- Great Britain and France -- with the former winning the gold medal.
Ponting was approached for taking over England's Test side but New Zealand's Brendon McCullum eventually took up the role.
Rohit has overtaken former skipper Dhoni as the most successful T20I captain with 49 wins in 62 matches.
Shastri feels managing the workload of players, especially bowlers, will be Gambhir's biggest challenge.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances