Ravi Shastri is set to return to the commentary box after a gap of seven years as the 15th edition of the Indian Premier League begins in at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday.
Shastri, who has called some of the most famous moments in Indian cricket, ended a successful tenure as head coach of the senior men’s team and will make his return to commentary with IPL 2022.
In an interaction with Suresh Raina and Mayanti Langer for Star Sports – the official broadcaster of IPL 2022 – Shastri said he was looking forward to watching and analysing cricket in real time once again.
“The competition will be terrific this time, with two new teams coming in. Now there are quite a few teams that will give you a real good run for money. The mix has been very good and it promises a very strong league,” Shastri said.
The 59-year-old said that IPL 2022 could offer insight into who will be India’s next long-term captain.
“Virat Kohli is not being captain anymore, but Rohit Sharma has also been outstanding especially in white ball. India will be looking at who will be captaining the team (in future) – there is Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul,” said Shastri.
“India will be looking for a solid captain for the future and here is the opportunity. That is the beauty of the IPL, last IPL we saw Venkatesh Iyer, no one had heard of him and by the time it got over he was in Indian team. So you expect the unexpected.”
With the next T20 World Cup scheduled to be played in Australia later this year, Shastri said fast bowling could gain attention during IPL 2022.
“One thing I can say is that they would be watching the fast bowling department more than anything else as they are going to Australia in four months’ times after the IPL,” Shastri said.
“I would rather focus on players who have been just given the opportunity and how they do in IPL. Now it will be important to see how these players perform in the IPL and strengthen their positions.”