Off The Field

‘A great synergy’: Slater on why Kohli-Shastri is a successful combo

Written by Abhishek Patil

Former Australia batsman Michael Slater believes that India captain Virat Kohli works well with coach Ravi Shastri because both of them are strong personalities. India have attained some big successes in recent years, and both Kohli and Shastri are largely credited for the rise of the team. In 2018/19, India beat Australia to win their first Test series Down Under.

Speaking in the latest episode of chat show Cricket Connected on Star Sports, Slater said: “Ravi and Virat probably challenge each other enough but there is such respect between them that it works.”

“If Ravi is nodding his head when Virat is speaking and vice versa, the rest of them even if they don’t agree would be nodding their heads,” Slater added.

“But obviously there are subtle differences that allows them to really work well together. But it has been a great synergy and a great relationship and I think it has helped Indian cricket’s tempo,” he added.

“Ravi Shastri is a great motivator, that is Ravi bhai’s strength. He gives you a lot of confidence. If you are stuck in quicksand till your neck, he will ask you to push with your hands twice and you would come out. Virat Kohli also likes leading from the front. Both have similar personalities. So, it is very good between the two of them,” he added.

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Abhishek Patil