Ravi Shastri-Virat Kohli joint press conference: Top quotes

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Mumbai, July 19: India's newly-appointed head coach Ravi Shastri on Wednesday (July 19) addressed a joint-press conference with skipper Virat Kohli before leaving for Sri Lanka tour.

Addressing his first press conference since getting the high-profile job, the former Team Director spoke about the challenges ahead, said he has "matured immensely" in the last two weeks, a period that saw dramatic developments leading upto his appointment.

Team India will be leaving for Sri Lanka to play three Tests, five ODIs and a Twenty20 starting July 26.

Here are the top quotes from both Kohli and Shastri during their first press conference after latter's appointment as coach:

1. Shastri on his return as coach

"I don't come with any baggage. I have matured over the last couple of weeks. Ravi Shastri and Anil Kumble will come and go. All credit to the players."

2. Team is important, not coaches: Shastri

"I don't come with any baggage. The team has done exceedingly well in the last three years, they are the people who deserve credit. The Ravi Shastris and Anil Kumbles will come and go. If India are the number one Test team today, it is because of the effort of the players. People will come and go. The fabric of Indian cricket will remain," said Shastri.

3. Shastri strongly defends Bharat Arun's return as bowling coach

"There is track record there. Fifteen years of his life has been coaching. He has been with A teams, u-19 teams, junior World Cup teams. He knows the boys better than I do.

"In the 2015 World Cup, our bowlers took 77 out of 80 wickets. If he was a big name, you would have put him on the top of the tree. I don't need to elaborate too much on what he is good at. It is there for everyone to see."

4. Shastri's take on communication between captain and coach

"I will answer this in two parts, as a player and former captain. And trust me there is no conflict of interest.When you play the game, you want your your mind clear and that happens with good communication with the support staff.

"As captain, my job was to put every player in this frame of mind. That was my job and that's his job."

5. About challenges he (Shastri) and team faces in Sri Lanka

Ravi Shastri, reflected on India's last tour of Sri Lanka, where the team bounced back to win the Test series 2-1.

"I have matured since we last went to Sri Lanka. I feel have matured a lot in the last two weeks," he said.

6. Virat Kohli on relationship with Shastri

"We have worked together in the last three years. I don't think I need to understand anything else. We have worked before, we know what's expected and what's on the plate. I don't think it will require any effort," Kohli, flanked by Shastri, said.

7. Virat Kohli on relationship with coaches

Everyone has relationships and one goes through them in all spheres of life. I don't want to elaborate further. Understanding and communication is important. It is for every relationship to be successful. We two have worked together in the past, so there will be no problem in adjusting. There have been lot of speculation. My job is to perform to the best of my abilities.

OneIndia News