Ravi Shastri Fumes Over Dhoni- Kohli Rift Talk, Terms It Biggest Load Of Bull****

A livid Indian team director, Ravi Shastri, has quashed reports of unrest in the dressing room, over captaincy issues and said that, Virat Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni have “tremendous” mutual respect between them. “What people don’t realise is that there is tremendous mutual respect there between Virat Kohliand M.S. Dhoni,” Shastri was quoted as saying, by bcci.tv .

“When M.S. was at his prime as India’s Test captain, Virat was only a youngster. There were times when Virat’s place wasn’t certain in the side and MS stuck by him. Such things are not forgotten. I can sense and see that respect without anyone having to tell me.”

“It’s (rift between Dhoni and Kohli) the biggest load of bull**** I have been hearing. It’s one honest bunch who believes in playing for each other. That’s why the results you have had over the last year, 70 percent of matches won,” Shastri told PTI in an interview. “You ought to see the respect they have for each other. Kohli is young, flamboyant, in-your-face character. He will learn with the exposure he gets. He is only 26, let him settle into captaincy for a year or two,” he said.

Shastri spoke highly of current ODI captain Dhoni, calling him an all-time legend, who played on his own terms. “Dhoni is an all-time legend. He is the kind of bloke who plays on his own terms. It’s best exemplified in the manner he quit Testcricket. I would have known many who would have loved to go for a 100-Test milestone,” he said.

The reports of conflict within the Indian camp were sparked following the team’s first-ever One-Day-International (ODI) series loss to minnows Bangladesh, as Test skipper Kohli expressed concern over the team’s decision-making.

“Not too happy with the way we have played. We have been sort of doubtful in our decision-making and that shows on the field,” Kohli earlier said, fuelling speculations of a rift within the team.

His comments followed team-mates Suresh Raina and Ravichandran Ashwin’s vocal support for ODI skipper Dhoni, whose personal coach has claimed “groupism” within the team as the reason for India’s loss.

Asked about the biggest change that Shastri as a director has brought into the dressing room, the 53-year-old said: “Honesty and openness. I told the boys, ‘Whatever you want to say, say it in the dressing room, not behind anyone’s back’.”

“A conscious effort was made to bring this honest environment about. I cannot say if I did it or not but I have seen massive improvement. The players have opened up much more from when I joined the team. There is trust there and there are benefits there. I told the guys, ‘Whatever is on your mind, rather than keeping it all bottled up, get it out’.”

“There is also mutual trust among the group. They want to play for each other and genuinely enjoy each other’s success. That is the healthiest quality a team can have.”

Shastri’s involvement with the team has been lauded by a lot of players and he is said to have brought in a lot of positivity into the outfit.

“It’s basically about making them believe in their own abilities and that, as a unit, they are one of the best in the world. When it’s constantly mentioned and when you have results to prove it, it becomes infectious and is transferred from one player to another,” said Shastri, who played 80 Tests and 150 ODIs for India, scoring 3,830 and 3,108 runs respectively.

“In the eight months that I have been with the team, we have won about 75 to 80 per cent of the ODIs,” Shastri, who has 151 Test and 129 ODI wickets to his credit, added. The former Mumbai star is confident, that the team will bounce back after the 1-2 series loss, to neighbours Bangladesh.

“Yes, we had a bad loss against Bangladesh but you learn from that and bounce back. This team has been through some tough terrain, in England and Australia, and they would have learned a hell of a lot from those tours,” he said.