India's hard times brought me in: Shastri

Dhaka, May 27 (UNI) Birthday boy and Team India cricket manager Ravi Shastri today said he agreed towork for the team as it was going through a tough phase and he was pleased with the positive outcome of the series with Bangladesh.

Talking to the reporters at the end of the tie that India won in three days' time, Ravi, who turned 45 today, said, ''I was clear that the team should enjoy the game. The bottom line was team's ethics. We might have 15 individuals in the team, but the team comes before the individuals.'' Asked if the honeymoon of the Indian team ended here, he said, ''I like honeymoons anyway. The more the merrier.'' On his contract with BCCI, he said, ''The thing is, I was very clear right from the outset that I would do this job because it was tough time for the team. I was free, but I had my stand clear with the establishment that I was under a contract with espnstar who are my employers.'' ''Without their support, I don't think I would be doing this job. I am a professional. I believe in work ethics, I believe in contracts.'' ''It's against my nature. When I have a contract in hand, I respect it,'' he added.

Asked to comment on the team, a delighted Ravi said, ''They are a great bunch of guys. I didn't go to the world cup, I watched from home only. I kept reading a lot. But what I saw here was a brilliant bunch. Camaraderie was fantastic. Not anything I had thought, because of what I had read. When you see these guys play the way they are, enjoying the dressing room, I see a positive sign.'' Commenting on the bowling staff, he said, ''I am asked they [bowling and fielding coaches] should stay in place. Venky (Venkatesh Prasad) and Robin (singh) did a fab job. They were dedicated cricketers, this job too they did with dedication and pride.'' About the Bangladesh squad, he said, ''They are a very promising one-day side. They have a lot of work to do in Tests.

You could see they are coming out of the one-day set-up. They need to play a lot more four-day games.'' ''Mashrafee is a real quality player. He showed to the Indian team as well that he is very talented. He needs to look after himself and not get injured,'' he said.

Explaining what he meant by 'no mercy', he said, ''I think they know me and my language very well. That's how I speak. If you need an explanation of what 'show no mercy, take no prisoners' means, it means you don't give an inch and you don't take a yard.

You are out here to beat an opposition, and you do it fairly and squarely." He said was great to be back in the dressing room. ''Feels great. To be back. It brought back great memories of when you were playing. Sometimes when things aren't going well, you know how the dressing room reacts,'' he said.

Shastri also complained about the conditions and the fact that the schedule could have been better.

He said, ''I don't go into the past, I don't look into the future.

I focus on the present. The present were these boys given to me by the selection committee.'' On the selection of the new coach, he said, ''I am on the coach selection committee. I will hold my cards for the moment. I am a professional I have work ethics.'' UNI