Team doesn't mind losing as long as they throw punches: Ravi Shastri

Ravi Shastri’s disdain for trolls on social media was evident on Sunday when he asked them to enjoy a drink in his name, sporting a huge grin. But the India coach was dead-pan serious when it came to discussing his team and all the difficulties they have had to face over the last two series. Excerpts:

On being empathetic: We started in Australia with two losses, in normal circumstances, you can go straight to the point and say we can be aggressive or we can be more straight to the point to the individual and say pull up your socks. But I had made up my mind that we are going to show empathy. For six months, a lot of these guys haven't gone out of their flats. When you can't get out to do the job you do for six months, it's not easy. Two weeks in quarantine, another week two losses and by then the boys had trained a bit for the results to turn around. It was because of the work we had done in the last 4-5 months. This team doesn't mind losing as long as they throw punches.

On lessons from the bio-bubble: I remember saying with adversity comes opportunity. I told them that cricket has never seen anything like this since the second World War II. So what you guys are going through is unreal. It is against what you're used to, but you have no choice. Leave everything aside and focus on the game. I must say, it was very easy for someone to lose the plot. When you look at all that, I thought the boys were simply magnificent.

On bonding in the bubble: There was no choice. There are restricted areas. You can't go out anywhere, you can't meet anyone. If you want to get out of your room, go into the team area. It's made players meet each other more often. When you meet often, there will be conversations about the game. In my days, when we finished the game, we would sit in the dressing talking cricket for hours. The best thing to happen is they all talked cricket. They had no choice. They had to understand each other. Where the players come from, mental state, where they are in life - settled or unsettled. It allowed them to open themselves to others. Discuss personal issues more freely. Win more trust from the team members.

On coaching: I never expected this (job). When I was given the role, I didn't know the end game. The amount I've learnt in these six years, I haven't learnt in the last 35 years. Man management is the most important thing. What's more important is to understand human behaviour. It's how someone reacts to failure and success. When to talk to someone and when to leave them alone.

On memes: It’s banter all the way. They do it to have fun. They can drink in my name, what difference does it make? I'll have lime water or milk and honey. You enjoy a drink at my expense. When you post that, so many people get happy and have a laugh. As long as the team does well, I am happy. There is so much cricket. The world revolves around performance. You do well, you get accolades. You don't perform, you get a kick on the back.