New head coach Ravi Shastri set his sights on the World Cup in 2019 along with continuing India’s supremacy in Test cricket after a comprehensive 3-0 whitewash over Sri Lanka in an interview with Times of India on Tuesday.
“The World Cup has its own space that needs to be respected. And while that remains the goal, we must realise that if India need to show their might in the game, achieving results in Test cricket is the pinnacle,” he said. “Now, these are two different sets of goals altogether. Both need to be pursued with equal amount of zeal and yet, both require a completely different level of preparation”
Having coming into his tenure amidst much controversy about the resignation of previous incumbent Anil Kumble, the 55-year-old maintained that the team was the captain Virat Kohli’s and his responsibility was to ensure that there was enough confidence and trust among individuals.
“I don’t believe in unnecessary interference,” he said. “Everybody in this set-up has a responsibility carved out and come what may, that responsibility needs to be carried out to the best of the ability. My job is to ensure this is happening on a daily basis and outside of this, anything that needs to be done in the interest of the team.”
Shastri showered compliments on the entire team, singling out Hardik Pandya, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Kuldeep Yadav and Wriddhiman Saha for special praise. He agreed with Kohli that Pandya had been the the biggest positive of the series and praised him for being a quick learner.
There was, however, something the coach hoped to achieve by the time the 2019 World Cup rolled around: “When the time comes for India to field a side for the 2019 50-over World Cup, we should have the best fielding eleven in the world. The fittest of the lot and that’s right up there in the list of priorities.”