IPL is the cash cow of cricket and is needed to keep the game alive: Ravi Shastri

The outgoing Head Coach of the Indian cricket team, Ravi Shastri has stated that the Indian Premier League (IPL) is extremely important in the world of cricket. Adding that he does not care about what other people speak about the tournament, Shastri said that the IPL is the cash cow and is needed for the other formats of the game to survive.

Adding that conducting the IPL helps in earning the big bucks, the 59-year-old also opined that the money earned through the IPL can be used to develop different formats of the game and keep cricket alive at the domestic and grassroot level.

“I think the IPL is extremely important. I don’t care what people think. IPL is the cash cow for your other formats to survive. You have got to get that in place and then earn the bucks, get it into the coffers and then spread it around to different formats of the game, at grassroots level, at domestic cricket level, to keep the game alive,” said Shastri according to NDTV.

Everyone in the Indian team will need a break because they are humans: Ravi Shastri

Ravi Shastri also said that cricket is going through unprecedented times due to Covid-19, and added that one single individual cannot be on the road for a long time. Shastri also added that the cricketers need a break as they are also human beings as well.

“In these times of Covid, which is unprecedented since the Second World War, I don’t think one individual can be on the road for the amount of time the Indian team is on the road. I think you need to be able to take a break. Not just Virat, everyone in the team at some time will need a break because they are humans,” said Shastri.

Shastri also revealed that quitting captaincy was Virat Kohli’s own decision and no one gave him the ‘nudge’ to do so. Shastri concluded by stating that Kohli will come back stronger, and said that the Indian players have been in the bio bubble for six months and need a break from the game.

“It’s his own choice. There’s no one giving him a nudge. And he needs a break. I think he will come out twice the player after this break. When you are mentally fried up for two years, like these guys have been in the last 24 months — they have been in a bio bubble for the last six months — you need a break,” concluded Shastri.