Shastri and Kohli's aggression has made a massive difference to this Indian team, feels Rameez Raja
Ravi Shastri with Virat Kohli
|Getty
Former Pakistan skipper Rameez Raja believes that Ravi Shastri was a misfit in the Indian team back in his days and that inherent aggression is helping the Indian team move forward. The cricketer-turned-commentator further added that the India-England series is a great series ahead of the World Cup.
The five-match T20I series between India and England is turningĀ out to be a special series so far, with the rubber being locked at 2-2 with a game to go. Bucking the trend, India, who batted first after losing yet another toss, decided to go big from the beginning and the impetus provided by Suryakumar Yadav helped the side to a total of 185.Ā
India were attacking in their approach and every player seemed to be proactive as India pushed England to the brink in the death overs when they needed just 54 runs with a set Ben Stokes and Eoin Morgan in the middle. Rameez Raja is extremely impressed by the approach as he credited Ravi Shastri and Virat Kohli for the transformation.
"When we played against Ravi we felt he was a misfit in Indian team because he had aggression, he was a go getter, team player ready to open bat down the order and his body language was different. We felt he wanted to be a Imran Khan type player because we were like that," Raja said, reported PTI.
"I think he took this attitude to the Indian team and fortunately for him the captain, Virat Kohli is also like that aggressive and expressive and this has made a big difference to the Indian team."
Given the quality of cricket on offer this series, Raja believes that this is the perfect opportunity for both the teams to chalk out their strategies and look forward to the T20 World Cup that is happening seven months down the line in India.
"I think it is a trailer for other teams on how to improve their skills, strategies for this format before the World Cup. We have two of the best teams playing and I think England is the team to beat in the World Cup," he added.
