“Players like Rohit, Virat Kohli are proven, you know what they are. I would go in that direction (those who have done well in the IPL) so that they get opportunities, they get exposure, while you retain Virat.” And Rohit is fresh for one-day cricket and test cricket.
“With that kind of experience your focus should be on Test cricket, red-ball cricket for future World Test Championships, and they will remain fresh (so that) there is not too much cricket where there is hyperbole.”
But what if Rohit and Kohli, KL Rahul also want to play T20 cricket?
Shastri argued that the 2024 T20 World Cup is still more than a year away, so the selection criteria should be purely “current form”.
“One year is a very long time. Players can be in form, form can disappear,” he said. “You will pick the best people at that time, and then, of course, experience will matter, fitness will matter. Who is popular at the moment, who is consistent, who has scored runs and where he has scored runs.”
Shastri was also of the opinion that there should be a specialist for each position in the batting order and that players should not be forced into unfamiliar roles, and there should be a good mix of left-handed-right-handed batsmen in the mix.
“There must be the right man for the right job,” Shastri said. “This should not be someone who bats at number three or four for his franchise, and when it comes to picking the team for India, suddenly you ask him to bat at number six or open the innings.
“I would like a mix of left-handed-right-handed batting combinations. Just like you look for left-handed batsmen with the ball, I would like to see left-handed batsmen in there. You look at this IPL, the teams which have performed well Well, look at the mix they have.”
“I want a day when the selection meeting is live. It is my dream to see it. Can you imagine the box office when the selection is happening where a selector is accountable?”
Ravi Shastri wants India’s selection meetings to be telecast live
“Oh, you will get that right with Hardik. He will get that right where he wants his six bowlers and the right number of players, including himself,” Shastri said. “Looking at the way he has captained Gujarat Titans, you can see that number one is a player and a role that he will take forward in the Indian team.”
Shastri said, “If there are other good openers, you would want a wicketkeeper who bats at number six or seven. Still, if your starts are a bit weak, you might want to look for a keeper who opens the batting.” can do.” “That number becomes very important and what your reserves are, what your strengths are… how you fit into that. It applies everywhere in that team.”