"He was labelled as white-ball cricketer without asking him", Shastri on Bumrah

Former Indian cricketer and head coach Ravi Shastri stated that he knew Jasprit Bumrah was desperate and hungry to make an appearance in the longest format of the game He became the first Indian pacer to be ranked as number one in the ICC Test rankingsThe lead Indian pacer played a vital role in the hosts serieslevelling win over England in the second test match He helped India by registering nine wickets for 91 runs in the second test With this Jasprit Bumrah also became the fastest Indian bowler to 150 Test wickets In an interview with former England skipper Michael Atherton who writes for The Times Shastri remembered his conversation with Bumrah where the pacer had told him playing Test would be the biggest day of his lifeAlso Read IND vs ENG Tests Kohli opts out Rahul and Jadeja make return in squadI remember my first call to him it was in Kolkata I asked him would he be interested in Test cricket He said that would be the biggest day of his life Shastri recalledHe was labelled as a whiteball cricketer without asking him But I knew I wanted to see how hungry he was I told him to get ready be prepared I told him I was going to unleash him in South AfricaBumrah first donned Indias test jersey in January 2018 against South Africa in Cape TownHes so excited to be playing and doing well in Test cricket said Shastri who debunked the notion of Bumrah being solely a whiteball specialist for his exploits with the Mumbai Indians in the IPLHe was desperate to play Test cricket with Virat Kohli They know at the end of the day no one remembers white ball averages They will always remember your numbers in Test cricketReflecting on the criticism Shastri stressed the significance of Test cricket and the enduring legacy it creates They know at the end of the day no one remembers white ball averages They will always remember your numbers in Test cricket he affirmedShastri who assumed the role of national team director in 2014 and later became the head coach further reflected on his tenure emphasising the shift in focus from individual brilliance to team brillianceIdentifying Virat Kohli as an uncut diamond Shastri said he saw the potential for the Indian captaincy early on There was a lot of individual brilliance but I wanted to see team brilliance I wanted to win and to make Test cricket paramount and identified an uncut diamond in Virat KohliWhile MS Dhoni was my captain my eye was on him Kohli I told him very early in my second month Itll take time but watch observe be ready for the captaincyAlso Read IN PHOTOS Highest individual scores by Asian players in ODIsRavi Shastri praised star India batsman Virat Kohli for his passion for test cricket his readiness for challenges and his willingness to play tough cricket Kohli was fully engaged with Test cricket He was passionate He was prepared to do the hard yards and was prepared to play tough cricket which fitted my way of thinking When you play Australia or Pakistan youve got to have a no complaints no excuses attitudeHe was always on the same page with the erstwhile skipper on creating a potent pace force The rest was history as India won backtoback Test series in Australia and drew fiveTest series in EnglandWe were on the same page and wanted a battery of fast bowlers He was ready for a scrap He wanted to play hard We made it a freeforall in the nets You were allowed to bounce the shit out of anyone He was the first guy to embrace it he was quite prepared to look ugly in the nets and the mindset changedAddressing concerns about Indias 40 per cent share of ICC revenues Shastri suggested a nuanced approach While acknowledging Indias economic contribution to the game he proposes utilising a portion of the funds to assist countries in needFrom the 40 per cent they can make use of a certain amount to help certain countries that need it Ive not had those conversations but thats what I would keep in mind One way of looking at it is to say when we were in the dumps who helped usBut my argument would be lets see how the world game can prosper and how Test cricket can prosper Expressing his views on the future of cricket formats Shastri firmly believes that T20 should serve as the vehicle for the games expansion into new territoriesHe envisions a footballstyle model with a thriving T20 franchised circuit fewer bilateral internationals ICC World Cups and Test match cricket played among countries with the infrastructure to support itT20 is following the football model It will happen Its inevitable so be ready for it he saysThat money will help Test cricket to survive but it can only survive if it is Test cricket so you need the strongest teams playing against each other and the best players to be available It has to be best versus best otherwise its not Test cricket he concludedWith PTI Inputs