Animosity between India and Pakistan team continued prior to the mega final of the Asia Cup with two presenters -- India's Ravi Shastri and Pakistan's Waqar Younis -- conducting the snap interviews at the toss.
Ravi Shastri guided India to back-to-back series wins in Australia and his short advice to current head coach Gautam Gambhir is to "stay calm" over the course of five Tests Down Under and avoid knee-jerk reactions.
Cricket legends Harbhajan Singh, Venkatesh Prasad, Zaheer Khan, and Sourav Ganguly reminisced about India's historic 2001 Test victory against Australia at Eden Gardens.
'He is explosive, dangerous, and capable of shots like these. Where do you even bowl to him?'
Former India coach Ravi Shastri cautioned against giving Jasprit Bumrah five Tests in a row in England.
'We were not thinking about a series win because we were just bowled out for 36.' 'The mood in the dressing room was a bit down. Ravi Bhai organised a team dinner. He arranged for karaoke, he started singing. He sang old Hindi songs. Everybody joined in.'
'Pakistan can beat any team on any given day'
Cricket magnifies the joy in the City of Joy. And with the stadium illuminated in World Cup colours, it seems to have lit up the soul of Kolkata.
He was presented the Audi 100 for winning the player of the series of the award. Then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi asked the Indian customs to waive off the heavy duty on the car when it was brought to India.
'His preparation, his belief in his own ability, the range of shots that he has, and then the mindset to go out there and back himself from ball one.'
Shastri, speaking to Sanjana Ganesan on The ICC Review, suggested there's more to it than meets the eye.
Having overseen Kohli's most prolific years as coach, Shastri knows the batter better than most.
'Great to be back at the G with my World Championship 1985 buddy after 37 years. Goosebumps... @KrisSrikkanth'.
Virat Kohli received a thunderous standing ovation from a capacity crowd at the Sydney Cricket Ground as he strode out to bat, likely for the final time in Australia.
Meghalaya's Akash Choudhary hits record eight consecutive sixes to make 11-ball fifty in Ranji
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri outlined the quality of Steve Smith that has always amazed him, and expects the captaincy for the first Ashes Test in Perth to bring the best out of him.
Rishabh Pant took three catches in India's narrow win over Pakistan on Sunday and fielding Coach T Dilip was quick to appreciate the efforts of his wards.
'He will be a vital cog in the wheel for the Asia Cup.'
'Great to be back on a sunny day at @Wimbledon.'
Gambhir was named India Head Coach in July after the end of Rahul Dravid's tenure.
After Sunday's defeat in Perth, the three-match series moves to Adelaide on Thursday before concluding in Sydney on Saturday.
Customs were broken and tensions visible as India and Pakistan skipped the usual handshakes after their Asia Cup clash in Dubai on Sunday.
MCC President Mark Nicholas said the views were not to suggest Test cricket was unwarranted, and that cricket needed money to sustain itself.
Mohammed Shami's fiery spell at Johannesburg in 2018 wasn't just about swing and seam-it was fuelled by biryani, banter, and a well-timed provocation from head coach Ravi Shastri.
Former India coach Ravi Shastri, looked dapper, in a black kurta and a white stole, at the toss, two days after he turned 60.
'It's important to identify the right kind of players who will take you forward in 4-5 years.'
'Samson is most dangerous in the top three. That's where he wins you matches. He should be left there.'
Shastri expects Gill to outdo Kohli's seemingly impregnable record
'It is a passing phase'. 'He will bounce back'. 'He is a run machine; poor form is just temporary'. The vote of confidence in Gill was inspiring and reassuring, notes Sandeep Goyal.
'It's very unfortunate that our players don't go to him for advice.'
This Asia Cup has charred the relationship between India and Pakistan players.
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has attributed the national team's defeat in the fourth Test in Melbourne to 'poor shot selection on either side of the middle session' on Day 5.
India will be overwhelming favourites in the upcoming World Cup final against Australia, the team's former head coach Ravi Shastri said on Friday while urging the hosts to stick to their game plans.
Former players lauded Varun Chakravarthy's bowling display against New Zealand in the Champions Trophy, with Ravi Shastri advocating for his inclusion in the semifinals.
On Monday, Ravi Shastri, the Indian cricket team's head coach, revealed how much he misses his four-legged buddies back home.
'India is much stronger in white ball than the red ball. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli... they know that these youngsters are pushing them.'
As India start their T20 World Cup title defence in less than 72 hours, one is tempted to look at Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir's working relationship which has been fantastic, at least so going by the results -- a whopping 31 wins in 39 games with a winning percentage of 79.48.
Earlier in the match, Ruturaj Gaikwad continued his rich vein of form, compiling a classy 116 off 163 balls as Maharashtra posted 313 in their first innings.
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.
'I remember my first call to him, it was in Kolkata. I asked him would he be interested in Test cricket. He said that would be the biggest day of his life.'
