“Love the banter” - Ravi Shastri reacts to a humorous meme on him by Shobhaa De 

Indian cricket team head coach Ravi Shastri is known as much for his wit as for his no-nonsense attitude. Thus it wasn’t surprising that he reacted to a meme on him by author and columnist Shobhaa De.

The meme shared by De features a beaming Ravi Shastri apparently talking about being in a 'dry' state. But the ex-cricketer's reaction to the post makes one feel that he actually enjoyed the tongue-in-cheek humour

This is what De had tweeted:

Smart! ⁦@RaviShastriOfc⁩ pic.twitter.com/Mc22OIxVmb

— Shobhaa De (@DeShobhaa) February 26, 2021

Here’s now Ravi Shastri responded to that tweet:

Love the banter ! Feels good to bring some smiles in these tough times 🙌🏻 https://t.co/mzPe5MtItj

— Ravi Shastri (@RaviShastriOfc) February 27, 2021

If you didn’t get the humour, Gujarat is a dry state, and Ravi Shastri’s love for a few drinks is no secret!

The meme was one of the many amusing reactions to the India-England pink-ball Test in Ahmedabad that ended inside two days.

While the meme itself is rather funny, whoever created it might have forgotten the fact that both India and England will continue to stay in the same city, as the fourth Test starts at the same venue next week.

Ravi Shastri: An amusing character in Indian cricket

Ravi Shastri’s wit came to the fore during India’s famous series win in Australia earlier this year. Following the win in Melbourne, he was asked about the talk in the dressing room, as India were bowled out for 36 in the previous Test in Adelaide. He replied with a terse "No Chat” comment.

Shastri was also savagely trolled after Prithvi Shaw’s twin failures in the Adelaide Test. Indian fans on social media, reminded of the time when Ravi Shastri compared Shaw with greats like Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara and Virender Sehwag.

However, Ravi Shastri won plaudits after India registered consecutive Test series triumphs Down Under, beating Australia 2-1 despite missing up to six first-team regulars.

A renowned all-rounder during his playing days, the 58-year-old featured in 80 Tests and 150 ODIs for India, scoring over 3000 runs in both formats. With his left-arm spin, he claimed 151 wickets in Tests and 129 in ODIs.

Post-retirement, Ravi Shastri became a renowned commentator and is currently the head coach of the Indian men's cricket team. His partnership with skipper Virat Kohli has taken Indian cricket to great heights.