When Ravi Shastri taught Sourav Ganguly the importance of punctuality

Ever since Ravi Shastri took over the reigns as the Head coach of the Indian side in 2017, there’s a palpable change in the team’s attitude which is certainly reflecting in the results. The former Indian all-rounder is now gearing for the England tour, which probably will be his biggest challenge as a coach.

Although there’s a decent enough team traveling to England for this big tour, historically team India’s performance has been poor. But many believe if any team can get the job done, it’s this side under the Ravi Shastri.

One thing that really stands out when it comes to the former Indian cricketer is his punctuality. Time and again we hear from people how punctual and strict the 56-year-old is. In an interview with Gaurav Kapur on Breakfast with Champions, Shastri revealed an interesting incident which took place in Bangladesh.

Decency demands that you’re punctual: Shastri

Ravi Shastri worked the manager of the Indian side briefly before getting back as a broadcaster in 2007. The team had landed in Bangladesh for a bilateral series and their first practice session was scheduled to be conducted in Chittagong. Much to the disappointment of Shastri, Ganguly failed to catch the team bus because he was late.

“I’m never the one to give excuses. For me, decency demands that you’re punctual. It’s a great quality to have, especially when you’re involved with a team. Even in the Indian team, punctuality is paramount. If the bus is scheduled to leave at 9, it will leave at 9.

“This was in Bangladesh back in 2007 when I became the manager. The first practice session was in Chittagong. We were supposed to leave at 9 and when I suggested we should leave, the local managers said Dada (Sourav Ganguly) didn’t arrive as yet. I said Dada can come in a car, let’s leave,” Shastri recollected.

In Shastri’s words, that incident served as a lesson for Ganguly and after that, he always arrived 10 minutes early. After that incident, every time we left for practice, Sourav was at least 10 minutes early. Punctuality in team sports is extremely important.