Happy Birthday to the man behind India’s most iconic triumphs

Ravi Shastri Birthday: Ravi Shastri, the man behind some of India's most iconic triumphs as a talented all-rounder and later as the head coach, turned 61 on Saturday.

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Ravi Shastri international cricket career 

In his international cricket career which panned from 1981 to 1992, Shastri served as a highly-useful all-rounder, capable of playing any role for his team and grinding it out in tough situations. He often played as an opener or in the middle order while batting and could deliver some crucial overs of left-arm spin too.

Shastri had a solid Test record. In 80 Test matches, he scored 3,830 runs at an average of 35.79. He scored 11 centuries and 12 fifties in 121 innings of his career, with the best individual score of 206. The all-rounder also has taken 151 wickets, with best bowling figures of 5/75.

In Tests, the all-rounder loved playing against Australia. In 9 matches against Australia, Shastri scored 622 runs in 10 innings at an average of 77.75, with two centuries and a fifty, with the best score of 206. About one-third of his runs came against debutant Shane Warne in 1992, as the tall Indian attacked the young Aussie legspinner on his way to a double hundred at Sydney, which till this day remains perhaps his finest innings.

Ravi Shastri ODIs   

Shastri was also great in ODIs, having scored 3,108 runs at an average of 29.04. He scored four centuries and 18 fifties in 128 innings for India in ODIs, with best score of 109. He also took 129 wickets in the 50-over format, with best bowling figures of 5/15.

Shastri is part of the team which won the 50-over Cricket World Cup in 1983. In the tournament, he scored 40 runs in five innings, with the best score of 17 and took a total of four wickets, with the best bowling spell of 3/26.

Ravi Shastri's career-defining moment

Another career-defining moment came for Shastri in 1985 when he played a big role in his team's win at the World Championship of Cricket, defeating arch-rivals Pakistan in the final.

Man of the Tournament

Shastri won the 'Man of the Tournament' award for scoring 182 runs in five matches at an average of 45.50, with three fifties. He also took eight wickets, finishing as joint-third highest wicket-taker.

After the conclusion of his international cricket career in 1992, he was heard as a commentator. His authoritative voice, enthusiasm and knowledge of the game make him one of the country's most beloved commentators. His calls during India's winning moments in T20 World Cup 2007 and ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 still live in the minds of millions.

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Shastri was also appointed as India's head coach in July 2017. His contract was extended during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 and he was reappointed as coach in August 2019. He stayed as India's coach till the 2021 T20 World Cup. During his coaching days, his pairing with skipper Virat Kohli proved to be extremely successful, especially in overseas conditions. The aggression displayed by the duo often seeped into the rest of the team.

Over the years, the cricketing world has seen many sides of this all-rounder. Shastri has emerged as a personality who won India many matches as a player, entertained and educated millions of fans with his energetic, knowledge-filled commentary and guided new generations of Indian cricket to landmark wins as a coach.