Ravi Shastri may have grown noticeably greyer as Joe Root ground out a fifth Test double century and Ben Stokes scythed through the Indian spin attack on the second day of the first Test in Chennai.
But it is unlikely that the combination of Root’s stamina and Stokes’ luminescence could have caused him to double in age – as suggested by Google.
Shastri, the India coach, appeared on the search engine’s profile as being 120 years old. He does seem to have been around for an inordinately long time, making his Test debut as a teenager in 1981 and staying at the top level for nearly 12 years before careers in the media, cricket administration and even acting as the celebrity torch bearer of the 2008 Olympic flame for its Oman leg, before taking up the offer to coach the current India team.
Nonetheless, he is only 58.
Another Indian cricket legend was also admonished for appearing much older than his actual years.
Ravi Ashwin is actually 34 but Mark Butcher, commentating on the world feed that is being supplied to Channel 4, was unimpressed when he shelled a return thunderbolt from Ben Stokes in Chennai.
“Ashwin’s not the best mover in the Indian side. He always looks to me like he’s 20 years older than he really is sometimes out there on the field,” said Butcher, the former England batsman. And he’s bowled a lot of overs, he’s looking a little bit tired and that’s the chance you desperately want to hang on to.
“The thing that ended up being the case for India is that they were going to hope that Ben Stokes did something wrong and gave him a chance. Stokes was aiming it to the left of the screen and it ended up going upright.
“Catch those. That’s the issue. He managed to beat Stokes a couple of times off the flat part of the wicket. Didn’t need the rough for that but you’re going to need a little more assistance to put a batsman like Ben Stokes under pressure. When he does give you a chance, you’re going to have to take it.”
