New Delhi, Aug 16: India head coach Ravi Shastri has set his focus and team's priorities keeping 2019 World Cup in mind.
The 55-year-old former India captain has stressed that only the fittest players will earn a ticket to the 50-over world cup, scheduled to be held in England, two years from now.
Shastri was quoted by a Times of India report as saying, "Oh, yes. When the time comes for India to field a side for the 2019 50-over World Cup, we should have the best fielding XI in the world walking out. Only the fittest of the lot will survive and thrive going forward and that's right up there in the list of priorities."
Shastri also credited the trust between him and players as a major factor behind Team India's historic clean sweep of Sri Lanka.
"Well, the trust is there. I can't speak for the time when I wasn't around, but what I can say with a sense of absolute belief is that nothing has changed between how things were during my last stint and now. I said at the start of the tour that I'm walking into a set-up which I had put in place and was working on until a year ago. That's the same set-up I've walked back into," said Shastri.
As the rift between the team and former head coach Anil Kumble came out in the open, Shastri has opined that, in his case, it is for the players to answer if they have absolute faith in him or not.
"Well, that is for the players to answer. I have a job to do and in my close to 35-year-career as a cricketer/commentator and the other roles that I've handled, I've only tried to give my best. All I can say is that the sense of trust, knowing they (players) have someone around they can walk up to and discuss anything they want. If I really want to make lives difficult in order to get 100 percent commitment from the other guy, I can very well do that and everybody in this set-up knows what I'm talking about," Shastri added further.
The former Indian team skipper also said that he doesn't believe in unnecessary interference in the team.
"Yet, at the same time, I don't believe in unnecessary interference. Everybody in this set-up has a responsibility carved out and come what may, that responsibility needs to be carried out to the best of the ability. My job is to ensure this is happening on a daily basis and outside of this, anything that needs to be done in the interest of the team," he added.
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