Ravi Shastri awarded Honorary Fellowship by Cardiff Metropolitan University

Former India cricketer and revered commentator Ravi Shastri was conferred with an honorary fellowship by Cardiff Metropolitan University. The award was bestowed upon Shastri at the historic Glamorgan's Sophia Gardens ground, home to Glamorgan County Cricket Club, where he spent four seasons as a player in the late 1980s.

The award recognised Shastri's contributions as a remarkable cricketer, coach, and commentator. He was elated after receiving the honour as he admitted that he hadn't imagined it when he was playing for Glamorgan.

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"It is a great honour. It is something I never imagined when I played here long ago that would happen. I enjoyed my time playing for Glamorgan here in Cardiff and it is a pleasure to be back," Shastri was quoted as saying by BBC.

The 62-year-old also took to 'X' (formerly Twitter) to express his happiness after receiving the prestigious award.

"Honoured to receive The Honorary Fellowship from the Cardiff Metropolitan University today," the former India head coach wrote.

Shastri represented India between 1981 and 1992 and played a crucial role in their 1983 World Cup triumph. He was the first Indian batter to hit six sixes in an over when he achieved the feat for Mumbai against Baroda in the 1985-86 season of the Ranji Trophy. He was roped in by Glamorgan in 1987 and spent four seasons in Wales. In 1988, he played an important role in the team's run to the semi-finals of the Benson & Hedges Cup.

Shastri played his last international encounter against South Africa at St George's Park in December 1992. After drawing the curtains on his playing career, Shastri ventured into commentary and soon became a fan favourite.

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He was also a Unicef ambassador for a decade, championing the 'Pulse-Polio' campaign until India eventually eradicated polio. In 2017, he took up the challenging role of India's head coach, guiding the team to an historic Test series win in Australia that led to them becoming the number one team in the world in the red-ball format. The team also played the first-ever final of the World Test Championship (WTC) during Shastri's coaching. After his coaching tenure ended in 2021, Shastri retured to commentary and is winning the hearts of cricket enthusiasts with his in-depth analysis during the matches.