Happy Birthday Ravi Shastri: 10 Facts About the Glamour Man of Indian Cricket

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RAVI SHASTRI: Ravi Shastri is arguably the most versatile cricketing personality India has ever produced. From kicking off his career as a cricketer to becoming one of the most popular commentators of the present generation, Shastri has come a long way. His voice after MS Dhoni struck the final six at the Wankhede in the 2011 World Cup final still gives goosebumps to every cricket fan in the country.

Owing to his flamboyant attitude, Shastri was recognised as the glamour man of Indian cricket during his career days. He began his cricketing journey as a spinner but later shifted his focus towards batting and eventually became India’s one of the best all-rounders of his era. Shastri was a key member of the Indian squad, which lifted the 1983 World Cup by beating the mighty West Indies in the final.

With Ravi Shastri ringing his 61st birthday today, May 27, let’s take a look at some interesting facts about the legendary cricketer:

1. Ravi Shastri was not very fond of cricket at an early age. He was 14 years old and a student of Don Bosco when he started taking the sport seriously. Don Bosco was a little-known name in school cricket. But the inclusion of Shastri changed its entire stature. Under Shastri’s captaincy, Don Bosco won the 1977 inter-school Giles Shield to become a glittery name in the circuit.
2. Ravi Shastri’s performance for his school team did not go unnoticed. At the age of 17, he was called up to Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy team and became the youngest to have the opportunity at that time.
3. Ravi Shastri’s debut for Team India was nothing short of a fairy tale. He was still in college when he jetted off to New Zealand for a Test series as a replacement for Dilip Joshi. He clinched the show in his debut match, grabbing a six-wicket haul.
4. Ravi Shastri started off his career as a leg-spinner and used to bat at No 10 during his early days in the Indian team. Only after 18 months of his Test debut, Shastri moved up in the order and turned out to be a regular opener.
5. For more than three decades, Ravi Shastri held the first-class cricket record for the fastest double-century (measured in minutes). In a 1985 Ranji Trophy encounter between Mumbai and Baroda, he reached the milestone in just 113 minutes. He smashed six sixes in an over during the same match and became only the second batter to do so.
6. In regard to his exceptional performance in the 1985 World Championship of Cricket in Australia, Ravi Shastri was named “The Champions of the Champions.” He received a brand new Audi 100 sedan as a reward.
7. Having a height of 6ft 3in, Ravi Shastri was seen playing a limited type of shots, among which one became his trademark. That stroke, popular as “chapati shot” in India, demands nothing but a timely flick off the pads.
8. Ravi Shastri became the director of the Indian cricket team in 2014 and remained in that position till the 2015 World Cup. Two years later, he was appointed as the coach of Team India. During his almost 4-year-long spell, India witnessed a significant improvement in red-ball cricket but could not match the performance in limited-over formats.
9. In his 80 Test appearances, Ravi Shastri has amassed a total of 3830 runs while aggregating 3108 runs in 150 ODIs. Playing as a leg-spinner Shastri has got 151 Test wickets and 129 ODI wickets under his belt.
10. Ravi Shastri was also quite famous for his off-field exploits. Rumours said the cricketer was dating a then-Bollywood diva Amrita Singh. The actress, however, married his co-star Saif Ali Khan later. Shastri tied the knot with Ritu Singh in 1990 and the couple welcomed their only daughter Aleka in 2008.