Ravi Shastri praised R Ashwin for his performance in Sri Lanka. (Source: File) Ravi Shastri praised R Ashwin for his performance in Sri Lanka. (Source: File)

India’s Team Director Ravi Shastri is a man never short of adjectives. In an interview with the BCCI’s website (bcci.tv), done after his contract was extended till the 2016 T20 world cup, he has said R Ashwin has the “brain of an astronaut”, Virat Kohli is the “kind of guy who will go and open the batting if the situation arises”, and suggested that if India can remain patient and disciplined in big moments, they can beat South Africa in the upcoming series.

It’s Ashwin who got the best quotes from Shastri. Calling him the “best offspinner in the world,” Shastri put down his success to the newly developed traits of calmness and patience. “We know he has got the brain of an astronaut,” Shastri was quoted as saying. “He has combined that intelligence with calmness and patience now. That bodes well for us because now the astronaut’s mind is helping Team India take flight. For me Ashwin is the best off-spinner in the world at the moment.”

Ashwin, who became the first bowler to dismiss Kumar Sangakarra in four successive Test innings, earned a lot of praise from Shastri. “Nathan Lyon is a very good off-spinner but the variety this man can bring to the plate is unreal. The biggest testament to Ashwin’s brilliance was the way he bowled to Kumar Sangakkara. To stifle a class batsman like Sanga in his crease four times in a row was the mark of a world-class spinner who has realized that he is a world-class spinner.”

Shastri also reiterated his backing for the support staff of the team, be it the bowling coach Bharat Arun or the assistant batting coach Sanjay Bangar. He said the players could “trust” and “confide” in them. “Someone like Bharat Arun, people would not have known. When he was first brought into the team, people would have asked, ‘Who’ and ‘Why’? Now they will stop on their track and say, ‘Why not earlier’? The same applies for Sridhar and Sanjay. The reason is that these guys have been through the grind. They have been involved in the system for many, many years and know all these players from under-19 stage… part from the expertise, there is experience. They have all come through the system. They connect with the players. The boys can confide in them and trust them.”

Over the last month, the Indian team management has been talking about how no batsman holds a spot and everyone is willing to play in any position. Shastri reiterated that theme, putting down the flexibility in the team to captain Kohli’s attitude. “Even when everyone is fit, we will be flexible in deciding our batting order based on the conditions and the opposition. The good thing is that we have a captain who is prepared to lead from the front in all these areas. He is the kind of guy who will go and open the batting if the situation arises. And it will not have to come from anyone else. It will come from him. That kind of attitude spreads within the team.”

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