In a candid conversation on The ICC Review with Sanjana Ganesan, Shastri named two young stars he believes are ready to be groomed for the role - Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant.
'You have the best fast bowler in the world and you make him sit out after seven days of rest. It is something very hard to believe.'
The contrast between Iyer's selflessness and Kohli's perceived self-interest fuelled online discussions, with many interpreting Shastri's comment as a veiled critique of Kohli's actions.
Cricket legends Harbhajan Singh, Venkatesh Prasad, Zaheer Khan, and Sourav Ganguly reminisced about India's historic 2001 Test victory against Australia at Eden Gardens.
Akash Kumar Choudhary is hoping for an IPL opportunity, calling for greater representation of India's northeastern states in the IPL.
Asked about losing yet another toss, Gill quipped, 'I think the only toss that I'm going to win is hopefully in the WTC finals.'
On the podcast, Shastri named Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, and Virat Kohli in his top five.
Batting great Sunil Gavaskar strongly defended India head coach Gautam Gambhir despite the humiliating 0-2 series whitewash at the hands of South Africa.
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.
Former all-rounder and head coach Ravi Shastri has thrown his weight behind young Washington Sundar to be a 'genuine all-rounder for many, many years for India'.
Gill scored a sensational 269 in the first innings and followed it up with 161 in the second-earning comparisons to Don Bradman from Shastri himself.
Shastri added that Shreyas Iyer, who has had a tremendous run in white-ball cricket for India as well as in the IPL, is another player who could get selected for the England tour, but would face stiff competition.
The 21-year-old Reddy showed tremendous grit, scoring a dogged 105 not out at number 8 to virtually bail India out on the third day of the Boxing Day Test.
Ravi Shastri claimed India's dominant contribution to global cricket revenue makes the share fair.
- 'Give this side 12 months and you watch, they will be a bullet side' - 'The scoreline doesn't matter' - 'What we miss overseas is a batsman in the top six who can bowl. Someone like Sourav'
Praising Team Director Ravi Shastri for lifting the morale, Test opener Murali Vijay has said that the former all-rounder has entered the Indian cricket dressing room at the right time as things have fallen into place with the current coaching set-up.
'He is explosive, dangerous, and capable of shots like these. Where do you even bowl to him?'
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.
Virat Kohli and Steve Smith will be "dangerous" and "hungry" for runs in the remaining two Tests
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.
Former Team Director of the Indian cricket team Ravi Shastri made it clear that had he been the chairman of selectors, he would have thought about making "Virat Kohli the captain in all three formats" and let Mahendra Singh Dhoni "enjoy his game". Asked if he feels that Kohli is ready for leading across all formats, Shastri told India Today channel: "If I am the chairman of selectors, I would be thinking in that fashion, absolutely. It is it time to start thinking. You have to see India has no major event in three years till 2019 World Cup. This is your best chance to think and build." Shastri also made it clear that Dhoni can still contribute as a player. "By no stretch of imagination, you are taking anything away from MS. He can still contribute massively as a player. Time has come to allow him to enjoy himself, enjoy the game. It also depends on how much hungry MS is, how passionate he is, whether the juices are still flowing. It's a Catch-22 situation but you have to take hard decisions."
Sinner, Alcaraz will keep tennis' flag flying: Shastri
India captain Rohit Sharma stood down from the fifth and final Test against Australia in Sydney in January.
'Ravi was very streetsmart, cricketsmart, so that made him more adaptable whenever situations changed or conditions changed.'
Ravi Shastri picked Rishabh Pant's dismissal in the first innings and Karun Nair's wicket in the second essay as the key moments that tilted the third Test at Lord's in England's favour.
Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton, the former England captains and respected pundits, will also be providing their expert analysis alongside former West Indies pacer Ian Bishop.
'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.'
Meghalaya's Akash Choudhary hits record eight consecutive sixes to make 11-ball fifty in Ranji
Former India coach Ravi Shastri says the stylish batter should go in with a clear mindset, change his tactics, and attack the bowlers.
Having overseen Kohli's most prolific years as coach, Shastri knows the batter better than most.
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.
'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.
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.
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.
'He will be a vital cog in the wheel for the Asia Cup.'
After Sunday's defeat in Perth, the three-match series moves to Adelaide on Thursday before concluding in Sydney on Saturday.
Former India coach Ravi Shastri cautioned against giving Jasprit Bumrah five Tests in a row in England.
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.
'Pakistan can beat any team on any given day'
Customs were broken and tensions visible as India and Pakistan skipped the usual handshakes after their Asia Cup clash in Dubai on Sunday.
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