Ravi Shastri becomes Indian coach: 10 facts you must know about Anil Kumble's successor

Courtesy: PTI

New Delhi: The drama surrounding the selection of the head coach of the Indian cricket team finally came to an end almost two months after it began, with cricketer-turned-commentator Ravi Shastri bagging the job as per an announcement by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) at their Mumbai headquarters on Tuesday.

In 2014, he became the director of Indian cricket team for a period of 18 months from India’s tour of England till the World T20 2016. 

Although there were a lot of high-profile names associated with the top-job, Shastri was being considered as a front-runner from the moment he applied for the post vacated by the legendary spinner.

Here are 10 facts about Ravi Shastri that you should know:

1.Former Indian cricketer's full name is Ravishankar Jayadritha Shastri and he was born on May 27, 1962. 

2. All the performances for his school and club did not go unnoticed as Shastri quickly made his way into the Mumbai Ranji team. He was chosen to play for the Ranji team at the age of 17. At 17, he was the youngest cricketer to play for Mumbai.

3. In his youth, the very tall and good-looking Ravi Shastri was the poster-boy of Indian cricket. His strikingly good looks made him a ladies’ man.  He had a much-publicised romance with Amrita Singh.

4.He started off as an orthodox left-arm spinner and batted at number 10 in his early days in the Indian team. However, he made a remarkable development as a batsman and within 18 months of his Test debut, Shastri moved up to open the innings. By the end of his career, he had batted at every position from one to ten.

5. Shastri began his Test career at No 10 in the batting order. But in a span of less than two years, he rose to open the innings for India in Test cricket.

6. Ravi Shastri’s most memorable series was the ‘Champions of Champions’ series Played in Australia in 1985. India won all games convincingly and he was the star performer. He made 182 runs and took 8 wickets, and was chosen as the man of the series. He won an Audi 100 car for his efforts.

7. He played 80 Test matches and scored 3,830 runs and claimed 151 wickets. He also played 150 ODIs and made 3108 runs and took 129 runs before he was forced to retire at the age of 30 due to a recurring knee injury.

8.Ravi Shastri is more remembered and known as a wonderful TV commentator among young cricket fans. His voice has been the backdrop for many famous feats India has achieved in the past including the 2007 World T20 and the 2011 Cricket World Cup wins.

9.In 2008, he was the celebrity torchbearer during the Olympic Torch Relay in Oman.

10.Ravi Shastri was named national goodwill ambassador for UNICEF. Sachin Tendulkar is the other cricketer who has the same honour.

The former India captain was also the front-runner for the India coach’s role last time around due to his successful stint as Team Director, before Anil Kumble entered the fray and was handed the high-profile position over 56 other applicants.