Ravi Shastri, the former India head coach, has some advice for the ECB’s new executive director of men’s cricket Rob Key.
Shastri said Rob Key, needs to develop a “thick skin” like he did to deal with “jealous people.”
Shastri told the Guardian that there was a “gang of people in India” who wanted him to fail all the time.
Rob Key, like Shastri, has long been a popular pundit, and despite the fact that he lacks a coaching degree, he tries to ease into a new role.
The former Indian head coach said
“I didn’t have coaching badges [either]. Level one? Level two? f*** that,”
“And in a country like India, there is always jealousy or a gang of people willing you to fail. I had a thick skin, thicker than the leather of the Dukes ball you use. A real solid hide.”
Thus, he said Rob Key must develop the habit of handling such situations as it keeps haunting back while you coaching a national team.
Shastri’s advice to Rob Key
Ravi Shastri further added saying
“And you need a bloody hide over here. Rob will develop this as he does the job because every day you are judged. And I am glad he has a lot of captaincy experience from his time at Kent, because communication with the players is absolutely paramount.”
Shastri believes that national teams around the world operate in a similar manner, based on his own experience with the Indian squad.
The 59-year-old further added saying
“Rob may have more work with the domestic game but, when it comes to the national team, it is very similar,”
“The most important thing is getting among the players and setting a tone from the outset: what you believe in, what you think of them and changing the mindset to compete and win.”
“You have to be bullish and brutish in wanting to achieve that. For us, and now England, it was about setting the challenge of winning abroad, big time. I was very firm when it came to team culture: all the prima donnas and all that sh**, that had to go out of the window early.”
According to Shastri, defining the concept and team culture is critical for any coach around the world, that’s what he had drilled into the India team when they beat Australia in two back-to-back away Test series.
Shastri also said that Key needs to discuss England’s issues with former Test captain Joe Root. Adding further he said
“Rob will have an adjustment period to understand the issues and will need to speak in detail with Joe Root for his experiences as Test captain. But in my 24 years [commentating], I did not miss a beat or a ball of Indian cricket,”
