Laxman Sivaramakrishnan reveals how Shastri deployed an old Indian coaching tactic

Indian cricket team is enjoying a great success under coach Ravi Shastri. Shastri is a very outspoken person and doesn’t hold himself for saying what he feels. He had recently asked one of the reporters to buy a dictionary in order to find out a word to describe Indian captain Virat Kohli’s tremendous form.

India clinched both ODI and T20I series against South Africa with the two spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal wracking havoc on the Protea bowlers through their brilliant performances. Former India leg-spinner Laxman Sivaramakrishnan felt that Indian coach is using tactics which Indian side used during 1985 World Championship. According to Sivaramakrishnan, in 1985, the two main Indian spinners were given duties of claiming at least 5 wickets between them.

Sivaramakrishnan was speaking to Times of India when he was in Delhi covering the Vijay Hazare Trophy final as a commentator. He revealed how then India skipper Sunil Gavaskar asked Shastri and him to get five wickets. Gavaskar has told Siva that It doesn’t matter If he goes for runs during his effort fo getting those wickets.

“Before my first ODI game in the 1985 tournament, our captain Sunil Gavaskar took Shastri and me out for lunch and told us to get at least five wickets in our 20 overs. Gavaskar even told me that he would not mind if I conceded more than 50 runs from the 10 overs. He wanted me to get two or three wickets in the middle overs. Ravi is using the same tactics as a coach now,” the leg-spinner said.

Back the idea of having two wrist-spinners in the playing XI: Sivaramakrishnan

According to Sivaramakrishnan, India’s tactics can help them immensely during the 2019 World Cup as they manage to stop the run flows. He also felt that the wrist-spinners slow pace helps them in their cause. He also backed the idea of having two wrist-spinners in the playing XI.

Finger spinners are the ones who restrict the flow of runs. They don’t get the bounce and turn like wrist spinners. I completely back the idea of having Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal in the playing XI. These wrist spinners, who are natural turners of the ball, don’t provide the pace to the batsmen, whereas the fingers spinners start bowling fast after being hit,” said the Chennai-born spinner.