'Rishabh, you're boring me man. Pujara has hit 7 boundaries in half an hour': Ravi Shastri's tactics to fire up Pant

Ravi Shastri isn't only one of the most outspoken broadcasters but also a fearless leader. As coach of the Indian team for seven years, Shastri, along with former captain Virat Kohli, was responsible for turning the fortunes of the Indian Test side, making it the most daring and fearsome travelling unit in the world. During Shastri's tenure, the team achieved many highs, but none more rewarding and satisfactory than India's back-to-back Test series win in Australia – especially the 2020/21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where a wounded and depleted Team India rose from the abyss of 36 all out to win the series 2-1.

And who can forget the contributions of Rishabh Pant in that series? Replacing Wriddhiman Saha, Pant shot to superstardom following his exploits, especially in the fourth and fifth Tests at Sydney and Gabba. Pant's unbeaten 89 at Brisbane, as India became the first team to breach fortress Gabba since 1989, has become the stuff of legends, but equally important was his knock of 91 in the previous Test at the SCG.

With India battling to save the Test, Pant and Cheteshwar Pujara partnered with 148 runs for the fourth wicket, placing the team at a stage where chasing down 407 wasn't a distant dream anymore. Pant was unfortunate to miss out on a century, getting out stumped off Nathan Lyon, but had more than done the job. However, after his dismissal, Shastri's interaction with Pant was one that summed up the former coach’s man management skills.

"I knew if I told him not to play it, that was against his nature, and he might play even more of it. I told him look, I'm bored, man. You are getting out in the same fashion. It was actually to Nathan Lyon in Sydney. You know, when he batted brilliantly and he got out, he came in and was sitting. Then, the second new ball was taken, and Puji hit seven boundaries," Shastri told Ravichandran Ashwin on his YouTube show 'Kutti Stories with Ash'.

"So when I went to the loo, he was still sitting in the dressing room alone with his pads on. So I looked at him. What is it? All your runs Pujara is scoring. He has hit seven boundaries in half an hour. Puji, seven in half an hour. And then I told him you're boring me, man. Ulta maar na (Play the reverse sweep). You're getting out the same way. Get out more dangerously. Now that's what I'm talking about, he then said to me."

If Pant is fire, Pujara is ice

Shastri admitted that after playing cricket, coaching the Indian team was the toughest job he's had to do, even a notch above broadcasting. As Shastri put it, one of the main responsibilities of a coach was to understand the minds and attitudes of the players, such as in the case of Pant. If Pant was fire, someone like Pujara was ice, and Shastri had his own way of getting the best out of him.

"Their [players] mindset and thinking is different than someone else. Each individual is different. I can't go and tell Puji that. 'Puji, hit a reverse sweep'. I would tell him carry on. It's his strength and he showed it on multiple tours. Understanding an individual, each one is different is the biggest challenge for a coach," Shastri said.