Ravi Shastri is convinced that the class of India’s 1985 team, of which he was a vital cog, could trouble Virat Kohli’s side.

Shastri was the key man in 1985 when the team under Sunil Gavaskar won the World Championship of Cricket. He was the hero of India’s triumph in Australia and had won the famous Audi car for being the Champion of Champions.

He is still influential in India’s cricket set-up, sitting in the head coach’s chair, and has played a significant role in the team’s ascendancy in world cricket across formats.

“No question about that. They (team of ’85) will give any team that India puts up in white ball cricket, a run for their money. That team of ’85 will give this team a run for its money,” Shastri said on the ‘Sony Ten Pit Stop’ show on the channel’s Facebook page.

Shastri also believes that that the team of 1985 was qualitatively better than the side that won the 1983 World Cup because it was a perfect blend of youth and experience.

“I go one step ahead and say the team of 1985 was a stronger team compared to 1983.

“I was part of both teams, I played in the 1983 World Cup and 1985, when you look man to man, 80 per cent of that ’83 team was still there, but then some of the youngsters that you got in there like a Sivaramakrishnan, Sadanand Vishwanath, Azharuddin, those kind of guys came in to add to the experience you already had of ’83 (and it) was fantastic.”

Shastri said that winning the Test series in Australia in 2018-19 for the first time in 71 years was special but when it came to white ball cricket, 1985 was special. “It is great to be part of those two teams, as a coach that series in Australia, is going to be very very special and hard to beat, because that team wasn’t beaten in 71 years by any Asian team.”

Shastri shared a hilarious anecdote about a team meeting before the final against Pakistan, played on March 10, 1985. He imitated what Kapil Dev said in his typical English.

“Kapil said, ‘if I win car, I keep 25 per cent (by selling) and rest share. Jimmy (Mohinder Amarnath) came and (said) ‘Yaar jisko mila mila’ (whoever gets it, gets it). When my turn came, I said, if I win it, I am keeping the car and I can only share the stepney,” Shastri said.