Former Indian captain Ravi Shastri reacted after winning the Col CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday (January 23). He said it was an emotional and moving moment for him.
The BCCI awards function took place in Hyderabad on Tuesday (January 23). One of the biggest awards went to Ravi Shastri as he was received with a lifetime achievement award for his contribution to Indian cricket. The former all-rounder has been an incredible servant to India both on and off the field.
Ravi Shastri played a decent role for India in his playing days and was also part of the Indian team that won the World Cup in 1983. After that, he became one of the best commentators in the world before taking up the role of head coach of the Indian cricket team.
Ravi Shastri ended his coaching stint on a high as under him the Indian team became the most threatening touring group. They won the series in Australia twice and also drew the series in England. It was thanks to him that the team achieved great success abroad.
Ravi Shastri spoke about his journey while collecting the award. He spoke about the last four decades with Indian cricket and said that the BCCI has been the guardian of it. He said the governing body showed him the way to play, which he took pride in. He explained:
“It certainly is (an emotional moment). Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming and I thank the BCCI for granting me this honor. It’s four decades in the game, you haven’t missed a beat and you’ve been involved with Indian cricket forever.
“It is a very touching moment for me because when I started playing cricket at 17 and ended as a player at 31, 30 in fact, the BCCI was my guardian throughout. They showed me the way to practice this sport. You know, when there wasn’t much money in the game, as Farokh (engineer) had mentioned. But I was proud to play for your country.”
🗣️🗣️ ‘ @RaviShastriOfc on winning the Col. CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award 🏆👌#NamanAwards pic.twitter.com/WHCpKHo3SJ
– BCCI (@BCCI) January 23, 2024
I saw BCCI grow in my 40 years – Ravi Shastri
Ravi Shastri further added that he has seen the BCCI grow in 40 years and highlighted how the young players have benefited. Calling it heartwarming, he explained:
“I saw the BCCI grow in my 40s, you know, a powerhouse in world cricket and because of that you can see generations after generations of players benefiting. So for me this is a very special evening with the women’s team and the men’s cricket team.
“There is the England coaching staff and there are people here who have been with me for those 40 years, whether as administrators, players, broadcasters or production people all over the pitch when we play, watch the game or commentate. the game. So it’s a very special evening. Touching.”
Ravi Shastri played 80 Tests for India in which he scored 3830 runs, along with 11 centuries and 12 half-centuries. He also picked 151 wickets. He also played 150 ODIs for India, scoring 3108 runs along with 4 hundreds and 18 fifties. He also collected 129 scalps.
