Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has claimed that he would have fetched a million-dollar contract had he been part of the Indian Premier League (IPL) auctions as a player.
Notably, the shortest format always demands multi-dimensional players and all-rounders, and Shastri would have surely raked in huge money had he been part of the bidding process. One of the finest all-rounders to have played for India, Shastri was quite popular for his flamboyant style of cricket during his playing days.
Recently, when asked about the kind of money he would have fetched as a player at an auction, Shastri claimed he would have comfortably been in the INR 15 crore bracket and would also have been the captain of a franchise.
“Comfortably in the 15 crore bracket. Comfortably! And captain of the side. No question. It’s a no-brainer,” Shastri told ESPNCricinfo.
It is a known fact that IPL auction has changed the lives of many cricketers. Several Indian all-rounders like Yuvraj Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Krishnappa Gowtham, Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya have earned million-dollar contracts over the years in the players’ bidding event.
Speaking about Shastri, he was an attacking batter and a left-arm spinner. The Mumbaikar had attracted headlines when he slammed six sixes in an over against Tilak Raj of Baroda while playing for Bombay in a Ranji Trophy match.
Overall, Shastri played 80 Tests and 150 ODIs in his international career, accumulating 3830 and 3108 runs in the two formats respectively. The left-armer also picked up a total of 280 wickets across formats in international cricket. He is also one of the few players with 1000 runs and 100 wickets to their name in Test cricket.
Shastri took up commentary after retirement and turned out to be an absolute legend in the broadcasting industry. He also served as India’s Director of Cricket before taking up the national team’s head coach role in 2017. Shastri served as the head coach from 2017 to 2021. After his stint as the coach ended last year, he has returned to commentary once again in the ongoing IPL 2022.
