'First punch dena': How Shastri interrupted India batter's lunch for 'good news'

It has been almost a year since Ravi Shastri stepped down as the head coach of the Indian cricket team but some of the practices which he implemented during his tenure will always remain special. The Yo-Yo Test, the bold promise of becoming the best touring team in the world and to a lot of extent, fulfilling it, the motivating speeches and some of the most memorable press conference. The Shastri era was truly special, and one that played an instrumental role in taking Indian cricket to great heights, especially in Test cricket.

There was never a dull moment with Shastri around. Even when India did not perform to their potential, Shastri, with his baritone voice, would inject an infectious energy not just into the team but its individual players. One of the players who was positively affected by it was Suryakumar Yadav. Surya made his debut under the Virat Kohli-Shastri era, but really came into his elements during the Rahul Dravid-Rohit Sharma reign of Indian cricket. But the road to Suryakumar becoming the most in-form batter in the unit currently was not easy as he made his India debut at the age of 30. Despite sizzling in the IPL 2020 for Mumbai Indians, where he tallied almost 500 runs, Surya was ignored for the tour of Australia. But his moment under the sun came soon, arriving in the most surprising manner.

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"On the day of the game, he (Shastri) called me and he was like: 'Do the things you do, don't think too much, attack. First punch dena unko' [Land the first punch]. I said: 'Yes sir, I'll try and do that.' It was really motivating to hear that on the day of the game. I don't know what impact it would have made if he had told me before game day, but it was in the afternoon. I was having lunch and he called me and said, 'You are playing today, you are making your debut." I was like, 'Wow, this is the day I have been waiting for'," Suryakumar told ESPNCricinfo.

Suryakumar earned his maiden India cap during England's limited-overs tour of England in 2021. The first ball he faced, Suryakumar hooked Jofra Archer for a massive six, and even though it took SKY some time to full flourish in international cricket, the seeds had been sown. Here was a terrific batter smashing the world's fastest pacer for a maximum without worrying about the consequences – What if he gets out, and doesn't get a game in future? What if his first and last game for the country – but that's what has always stood out about Surya, fearlessness of expressing himself and playing the most audacious array of strokes. He couldn't have been ignored for long.

"I was having lunch, me and my wife. She is like, "Your phone is ringing." I picked it up and he [Shastri] said: "Come down, I'm sitting at the pool." I started getting that feeling, that, boss, there is some good news. I went and he was like, "You will play today." The next two-three minutes whatever he said, it was all going here and there because I was thinking to myself, "What!? I'm making my debut today". He was like, "Just enjoy yourself, be fearless, express yourself." I was just dying to go on the ground that day," SKY added.

"She literally jumped on me (laughs). I called my parents when I was in the [team] bus. They didn't expect it because it was the second or third match of the series. They thought I might get an opportunity when the series was decided. Dad came back home early from office and he was very excited."

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