The Committee of Administrators (COA) came down hard on Ravi Shastri at a recent meeting in Hyderabad and asked the India coach to let people be the judge on whether this team is the best travelling side in the world or not.
Shastri capped a lot of criticism from cricket pundits after he labelled Virat Kohli’s team as “India’s best travelling side in the last 15 years” during the five-match Test series in England earlier this year which the visitors lost 3-1.
Taking note of what the former India all-rounder had said on the tour, the COA gave its own reply on the comments when they met with Shastri, captain Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma.
“Ravi initially started off by saying that the Indian media always criticises its own players and how this is one of the best ever teams in the last 15 years,” an official present in the meeting told PTI.
“When Ravi went on about how great this current team is, one of the COA members just cut him short.
“The COA member told him, ‘Let’s stick to the agenda of the meeting and discuss Australia tour policies. You don’t decide if the team is the best travelling side in the world. Let people be the judge’,” the official said.
“One of the senior members attending the meeting told the Kohli-Shastri duo that there is nothing wrong if BCCI wants them to perform well overseas.
“The official told them, ‘You have been given everything — from hefty central contracts to practice facilities, support staff, whatever you guys have wanted, so it’s only fair that your performances are put in perspective’.”
The meeting was attended by COA chief Vinod Rai, Diana Edulji, CEO Rahul Johri, IPL COO Hemang Amin, GM (Cricket Operations) Saba Karim along with Kohli, Shastri, Rohit, Rahane and chairman of selectors MSK Prasad.
