Former Indian cricketer, Ravishankar Jayadritha Shastri played an impactful stint for the Indian team. Now, he has been making a great contribution to the country by being the head coach of the India national cricket team. However, Ravi's 'tracer bullet' moment of his career was back in 1985.
The all-rounder player, Ravi Shastri, scored 182 runs and took eight wickets in five matches in the World Championship of Cricket '85 that was being held in Australia. He was voted as the 'The Champion of Champions' and was awarded an Audi 100 sedan. The win was one of the most unforgettable moments in the history of Indian sports. As for the car, it still holds a high recall value.
After Ravi was handed over the car, he and other team members took the luxurious car for a spin. However, the former cricketer was so fond of his car that he kept it without a scratch even after four decades. He never allowed anyone to touch the mechanical beauty, and even his father had to get permission before driving the car.
In 1985, India won the Benson and Hedges Cup under the captaincy of legendary cricketer, Sunil Gavaskar. The Indian team then defeated Pakistan by eight wickets in the final that was held in Melbourne. Ravi Shastri contributed to the team with an unbeaten 63 runs and took one wicket. His all-round performance in the series won him the position of Player of the Series, and as a reward, he was given an Audi 100 car. However, this was the time when India was operating under license raj, which made foreign companies reluctant to set up their factories in the country.
Bringing a foreign car to the country was a challenge for Ravi Shastri. However, the then Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, made a big decision after Ravi had contributed to the country's big win. The PM then waived the tax on the Audi 100 car so that this car could be brought to India.
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Talking about the same, Ravi shared that thousands of people wanted to see the car at the dock, and he refused to drive it. He revealed that the reason for his refusal was that he was afraid of driving the car in such a huge gathering. He added that he hadn't even learned how to drive the car properly. He was quoted saying:
"There were 8 to 10 thousand people outside the dock to see the car. I refused to drive the car. Because I was afraid of seeing such a crowd, I might drive this car among the people. Till then, I had not even learned to drive the Audi properly. However, I got a driver from Audi, who brought the car to my house safely, and there was not even a single scratch on it."
What are your thoughts on Ravi Shastri not allowing anyone to drive his car?
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