Shastri 'glad' at ICC clampdown on suspect actions

Former India allrounder Ravi Shastri has said classical spin bowling is on the decline due to the expansion of cricket into three formats. Backing the recent ICC clampdown on spinners with suspect actions, Shastri, who has taken over as India team director till the next year's World Cup, also pointed out the change in the mindset among Indian players when compared to his playing days.

"I'm glad at what's happening now - guys with bent arms and over 15 degrees flex being shown the door. That's why you must give full credit to the likes of Anil Kumble and Shane Warne, who did an outstanding job with no flex in their actions and went on to take 600, 700 wickets," Shastri told The Cricket Monthly, ESPNcricinfo's digital magazine.

"But such players are getting rare, the reason being three formats and youngsters wanting to play all three. The classical art of spin bowling, how you should bowl in Test match cricket, is disappearing. Luckily for Anil and Shane, they came at a time when there was one-day cricket. There was no T20 cricket, so they could still balance things out. But it's harder and harder for a youngster now who comes in at the age of 20 and wants to play for India. And he wants to play for India in all three formats of the game."

Shastri, who is a member of the ICC technical committee, supported the ICC drive against bowlers with suspect actions. "Better late than never," he said, adding the issue should continue to be tackled aggressively. "You've got to nip things that can be detrimental in the bud, even if this raises a few eyebrows or invites some opposition."

After retiring from international cricket in 1992, Shastri has spent the last two decades in the media. Shastri had overseen the Indian team briefly in 2007, and took over as team director midway through the tour of England earlier this year after India suffered yet another humiliating Test series defeat away from home.

Citing the need to give more time to a young team, Shastri said there has been a shift in mindset in the modern Indian cricketer. He attributed it to the game's evolvement into a three-format sport.

"I think there has been a big shift in the mindset and simply because of the number of formats that exist. I mean, if you look at skills, these might still be the same. Especially with batting. But today, players have got to juggle around with all three formats to ensure that they're performing, as opposed to the time when I played, where the emphasis was on Test cricket. Yes, there was one-day cricket but not as much limited-overs cricket as there is now. So you could give your attention to either format, which is difficult for a batsman these days," Shastri said.

"And it's taking its toll on the bowlers too. You know, when a fast bowler comes back after a series of five Test matches and then straightaway has to go into a one-day series with a three-day break, a T20 series with a one-day break, it is tough. It's going to get harder and harder to find guys who will play for ten years in all formats of the game, and whoever does it, good luck to him - he'll be a great batsman or bowler."

In his playing days, after the high of being adjudged the Player of the Series in the World Championship of Cricket in 1985, Shastri lost form, thus drawing the wrath of critics and fans alike. Relating that phase to Virat Kohli's loss of form in England, Shastri hoped Kohli will emerge as a better cricketer.

"That period actually allowed me to become a better cricketer. It helped me build mental strength to do better, prove everybody wrong," Shastri said. "You know, I got more hundreds after that period than I had done earlier.

"I'm quite certain that Kohli will be a much better player from the England experience. I definitely benefited from that period. I learnt how to handle the public, how to respect the opposition, how to respect form, measure the work that you put in. I might have got complacent, I might have got too big for my boots, I might have relaxed a bit. The game can bring you down very quickly, but it can also pick you up, if you have self-belief and you're prepared to put in the hard yards."

The Cricket Monthly is the long-from digital magazine from ESPNcricinfo. It is also available on iOS here and Android here.