Former captain Ravi Shastri today reiterated that his role as Cricket Manager
of the Indian team was a one-off assignment and he would not seek to extend his
contract with the BCCI.
"I like honeymoons anyway. The more the merrier. The thing is I was very
clear right from the outset that I would do this job because it was tough time
for India," the player-turned-commentator said after guiding the team
to a 1-0 Test series win against Bangladesh.
"I was free, but I had my stand clear with the establishment
that I was under a contract with ESPN-Star Sports 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," he said.
Shastri was appointed for the series as a stop-gap arrangement
as the Board was yet to a name a successor to Greg Chappell who quit
after the World Cup.
The former Test player, who turned 45 today, is on the BCCI
committee that has been set the task of finding India's next coach.
He refused to draw a comparison between his stint and the tenure
of former coach Greg Chappell, saying "I don't go into the past, I don't
look into the future. I focus on the present."
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