New Delhi: It was back in December 2017 when India was together knocked out for just 112 and lost the first ODI match of the three-match series against Sri Lanka. The players were in Dharamshala and were utterly disappointed with the result and were in bad mood. The players were asked to attend an event later that day. “Everyone be there at the bonfire at 8 pm,” the then coach Ravi Shatri said in a firm voice. Who knew that what the event was called for was beyond their expectation.
Ravi Shastri asked his distraught players to join him for an Antakshari and it worked wonders among the players stated the then Team India manager Sunil Subramaniam.
The pitch at Dharamshala was aiding the seamers while the cold weather conditions made things even more difficult for the Indian batters. Besides, Suranga Lakmal picked up the best figures in 10 overs with 17 runs, 4 wickets against Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer, and Shikhar Dhawan in the series opener. Also, the contribution of the captain Virat Kohli was missing as he married actress Anushka Sharma, a couple of weeks earlier.
“Suranga Lakmal nondi eduthaan (turned us inside out)”. “Everyone be there at the bonfire at 8 pm,” Shastri thundered, recalls Subramaniam. The players were scared by Shastri-the tough as nails coach; however, the players were in surprise when they realised that they had to play nothing but Antakshari.
“Dhoni was singing old Hindi songs until 2 in the night! And everyone left that place so joyous, the bruise of the loss had gone and everyone knew what was to be done in the future, man management, pa, no one in India is better than Shastri in that. He knows when to say what,” Subramanium added.
Shastri’s management was such that in the next few days, India thrashed Sri Lanka in Mohali where Rohit Sharma secured a double century (208* off 153). Eventually, India won the series in Vizag, beating Sri Lanka by eight wickets.
