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Last week, Ravi Shastri, the 1983 World Cup winner and former India head coach, was presented with a prestigious honour: a stand at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai was named after him. During the official inauguration, Shastri was asked how he would react if a batter hit a six towards the ‘Ravi Shastri Stand’, and he asked the journalist to wait, as it would be absolutely worth it. The former India all-rounder lived up to the high billing on Sunday during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 fixture between the Mumbai Indians and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
The Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya hit a four straight down the ground off the bowling of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and the ball raced towards the boundary. As expected, Shastri was ecstatic on seeing the delivery going towards the Ravi Shastri stand at the Wankhede Stadium.
The former Team India head coach said his uber-popular line, “into the fence like a tracer bullet,” before advising Hardik to aim higher and get a much-needed six.
“Into the fence like a tracer bullet,” said Shastri on air.
“And it came at the right area. It was targeting the Ravi Shastri stand. We might see a few now. If the Mumbai Indians want to win, they have to punch a few there. Aim higher,” he added.
Faf’s reaction
Seeing Shastri’s excitement, South Africa batter Faf du Plessis couldn’t keep calm, saying no one could match the energy of the former India head coach.
“He’s charging now, really. Ravi is on. Everyone clear up,” said Faf du Plessis.
Speaking of the game between the Mumbai Indians and the RCB, the latter came out on top by runs. The contest started with MI skipper Hardik Pandya winning the toss and opting to bowl.
RCB then posted 240/4 in 20 overs owing to half-centuries by Virat Kohli (50), Phil Salt (78) and Rajat Patidar (53). Tim David also chipped in with an unbeaten 34-run knock off 16 balls to take the defending champions past the 235-run mark.
Mumbai Indians’ chase of 241 got off to a bad start as Rohit Sharma retired hurt in the sixth over after facing a hamstring injury. Hardik Pandya (40), Suryakumar Yadav (33) and Sherfane Rutherford (71*) tried their best, but in the end, RCB held their nerve to register an 18-run win.
RCB are now at the third spot in the points table with six points from 4 matches while Mumbai Indians continue to languish in the bottom half with just 2 points from 4 games.
