Ravi Shastri tests positive for COVID, placed in isolation along with three support staff

The BCCI medical team has isolated Team India head coach Ravi Shastri, bowling coach B Arun, fielding coach R Sridhar and physiotherapist Nitin Patel. This decision has been taken as a precautionary measure after Shastri’s lateral flow test returned positive last evening. They have undergone RT-PCR testing and shall remain in the team hotel. The four members of the Indian setup will not travel with Team India until confirmation from the medical team.

The remaining members of the Team India contingent underwent two lateral flow tests. The first was conducted last night and the second one this morning. The members upon returning negative COVID reports were allowed to proceed for Day 4 of the ongoing fourth Test at The Oval.

Recent book launch

Shastri was most recently seen during his book launch event in London, which witnessed the presence of Team India skipper Virat Kohli as well. Kohli revealed that the former commentator’s first speech inside the dressing room shook him.

“His experiences have been priceless for us and they continue to be. I will say a few words on our working relationship, our bond over the years. Started in 2014, I met him many times because he was the most prominent voice in cricket from India and worldwide. We always look forward to his commentary skills. We actually started working together then,” said the Team India skipper at the book launch event as quoted by News 18.

“I remember in 2014 he gave us a pep talk for the first time. We were a bit down as a team and things were not happening well and he was brought in, he was brought in for the second time to set things right. In his first speech he gave, the first word he said was ‘boys’ in the voice that only he can generate. And I clearly remember, I was sitting down and my body shook because I had never heard someone speak so clearly and with so much determination and positivity,” added Kohli.

“All I can say is that our working relationship has been built on trust and mutual respect, on a vision that has been shared. The only focus is to take Indian cricket higher and in a better place. Both of us together along with the brilliance of the whole team and the talent we have been blessed with, I think we have been able to achieve that and it’s something we are proud of,” concluded the Team India skipper.

“MS Dhoni’s hands were quicker than a pickpocket’s”

Shastri was full of praise for MS Dhoni in his book “Stargazing: The players in my life”, terming the cricketer’s hands while wicket-keeping as “quicker than a pickpocket’s”.

“MS is an unorthodox cricketer. His technique, in front of and behind the stumps, is not easily replicable. My suggestion to youngsters is don’t try imitating him unless it comes naturally. What made him so successful were his splendid hands. They were quicker than a pickpocket’s! No other wicketkeeper, at least in the era MS has played, was that fast. He was the best in the world for a long while, and in white-ball cricket by a long distance,” said the Team India head coach.

“MS was sharp in his observation of whatever was happening on the field, and uncanny when it came to taking decisions based on ‘reading’ the trend of play. This quality of his went unnoticed simply because he made such few mistakes. His success with the Decision Review System shows not just fine judgement, but also how well he would be positioned behind the stumps to make the call,” he added.