“There would be 50 messages, all jealous guys” - Ravi Shastri recalls how female guests led to the soaring popularity of a famous break-time show

Former Team India all-rounder and head coach Ravi Shastri opened up on how female guests' attendance of his yesteryear break-time show, "Shaz and Waz" would see him receive messages from various other people. Ravi Shastri along with former Pakistani skipper and pacer Wasim Akram were a part of the show.

In the late 2000s and early 2010s, both Akram and Shastri were a part of the show that used to air on television during the break. The show was an instant hit among fans, with former Pakistani skipper Imran Khan giving Akram the name, Waz, while Shastri came up with Shaz by himself.

Most recently, Shastri was a part of the panel on the show, "Dressing Room", which was hosted by Fakhr-a-Alam and had Nikhil Chopra, Ajay Jadeja, and Waqar Younis alongside Akram as the panelists. When asked about the show's beginnings and its popularity by the host, Shastri said:

"Ray Hughes was there, he said Why don't we try this show in the middle at T time, just to break the pattern? Cricket is a serious game, six hours, break it up. I asked what is the idea, he said we'll do Shaz and Waz. And what do we talk about, so he said we will get a guest inside. Who will be the guest?"

"So they said, we will pick up a guest. And then I asked male or female? If it is picking up, then pick up a female. You are far better off picking up males. At that time, Women's cricket also needed some promotion," he continued.

Shastri added:

"Because when we were playing and if only males were watching, you didn't enjoy. But when you saw some pretty faces, then you felt like playing the sport, you felt like you had to impress - not just on the field but also impress those who are watching. And they add color, let's face it. When we got people on the show, the knowledge was unbelievable and they came from different walks of life."

"It was great banter and it went through the roof, into the top 10 shows in no time. It was light-hearted, a little bit of cricket, a little bit of fun, and a bit of female element in there. And when the show ended, you picked up the phone - 50 messages, all guys. All of them are jealous, and the messages, don't ask.

Take a look at the video of the same below:

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Ravi Shastri became a full-time broadcaster since 2022

Ever since his tenure as the head coach of the Indian national side ended in 2021, Shastri has been a full-time broadcaster. He has been in the commentary box for all of India's international games while also being a part of the commentary panel during international events.

Shastri is very famously known for calling the shots during the final of the 2011 ICC Men's ODI World Cup and the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup, both of which were won by Team India. He also served as head coach of the Indian side from 2017 up until 2021