“As a child I played cricket as a hobby. Once you started playing for your school, you became more ambitious. You reckoned you could play for the state. Then you started to think about the country. But it happened so quickly for me, I started playing for the school at 13, for Bombay at 17, and at 18 I was in the Indian side.”

Indian cricket commentator and former cricketer

Ravishankar Jayadritha Shastri is an Indian cricket commentator and former professional cricketer, born in 1962. He also served as head coach of the India national cricket team. He is known for his long association with Indian cricket, both on the field and behind the microphone. Shastri played for India from 1981 to 1992 in Test matches and One Day Internationals. He began as a left-arm spin bowler and later developed into a batting all-rounder. He was part of India’s 1983 Cricket World Cup-winning team, and in 2024 he received the C. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award at the NAMAN awards.