"You need to have that sense to pick Bumrah" - Former India coach on the importance of communication with selectors

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri stressed the importance of communication between the team management and selectors. The 63-year-old said that during his tenure as head coach, he never directly asked selectors to pick a particular player; he only communicated the combination he wanted for the team.

He added that he often relied on his gut instinct when deciding whom to bring into the squad, citing examples like Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant. Shastri further emphasized that one must have the sense to pick Bumrah, noting that the pacer was initially picked as a white-ball specialist and has now become a red-ball seamer. He said [via Prabhat Khabar]:

“Selectors are very important, and communication too. When I was coach, I never told a selector to pick someone or pick this one or that one. I only said that I need this combination, it is your job. You watch first-class cricket. You travel around the country to see young talent. It is your responsibility to give me that combination. I am not going around the country to see who is the best off-spinner. If I have heard something from another player or someone, I always ask players because they play. And whether it is a first-class player or a Test player, I ask them if they noticed someone good. If they say yes, then I tell the selector, just keep an eye on him. If you think he is good, bring him into the team.”

“And whenever I feel that someone should be brought in, it is that gut feeling, like with Bumrah, like with many players, like Rishabh. What I am saying is you need to have that sense to pick Bumrah. Bumrah is a dada bowler. We made him a white-ball bowler, so how did he become a red-ball bowler today?” he added.

In the same conversation, Shastri was asked to name the most iconic player in the current India team. The former coach said that while the team is currently in transition, looking at Test cricket over the past decade, Virat Kohli stood out for his contributions to the format. He said:

“It’s too early. It’s a young team (India). It’s a team in transition. But if I look at the last decade, I think in Test match cricket, Virat Kohli was the most influential player. Not just for India but for Test match cricket. He was an ambassador for Test match cricket. The way he played, his attitude, everything is there for everyone to see. And then when you look at world-class players coming through the ranks, you have to look at Bumrah. Already, in a span of six years, he is rated as one of the best.”

Meanwhile, Kohli now represents India only in ODIs, having retired from T20Is and Test cricket.

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“Everything depends on fitness” - Ravi Shastri on India’s veteran duo’s potential participation in the 2027 ODI World Cup

In the same interaction, Ravi Shastri was also asked about Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s potential involvement in the 2027 ODI World Cup. Shastri noted that both are world-class players, but their participation will depend on their fitness and continued passion for the game. He said:

“Everything depends on fitness, fitness and how hungry they are. Both of them… he (Rohit) got fit, and the last hundred he scored in Sydney, how good that was. Experience, you know, you don’t get that outside in the market, it is not sold anywhere, it has no price.”

“These two are big players, you know, white-ball giants. I mean, one is a master chaser, the other has three double hundreds in one-day cricket. So don’t mess around with players like this, yaar. If their mind is in the right place and the right buttons are pressed, then everyone else around will move aside. So age means nothing, it is about how hungry they are and how good they feel physically,” he added.

The veteran duo was recently seen in action during the three-game ODI series against South Africa, which India won 2-1.