Shastri wants that all top-order batters adopt Babar Azam's strategy of building on early innings to get large totals and big hundreds.
In the Asia Cup match on Saturday in Pallekele versus Pakistan, Ravi Shastri thinks India has the advantage, but just barely.
On the eve of the match, Shastri told ESPNcricinfo that while Pakistan proved to be a much improved team and had "narrowed the gap" with India, the strength of India's lineup and the presence of an experienced captain in Rohit Sharma gave India the advantage.
"I would say India start as favourites. This is their strongest team since 2011, this mix of players," Shastri said. "And a captain who is seasoned, who understands the terrain better than most.
"Having said that, Pakistan have narrowed the gap. Seven-eight years [ago], there was a gap if you looked at the strength of both teams and man to man. But Pakistan have narrowed it down. They are a very good side, so you have to be on top of your game."
Shastri believes that player attitude, rather than player form, is what truly differentiates players in a high-stakes, high-pressure match like India vs. Pakistan.
"That's what's important, keeping calm and treating it as just another game," he said. "And not overhype it in your mind that makes you think differently. Your game has to be the same as it would be in any other game. But because of that subconscious pressure, it's the mentally tough guys who normally get it right.
"When you look at the mix of players on either side, they are fabulous. And it will be a spectacle. In an India-Pakistan game, it is about who handles pressure better, who is calmer, whose thought process is clear. Those are the guys who will come through in those big occasions.
Shastri: India need to convert early scores into massive ones like Babar.
According to Shastri, any batters who want to win crucial matches should adopt Babar Azam's strategy. Shastri believes other hitters need to set an example after Pakistan's captain Babar achieved his 19th ODI century against Nepal in the tournament's opening game.
"He [Babar] converts those 30s and 40s starts into hundreds," Shastri pointed out. "And it is so important. We keep saying to go out there and face a number of balls, but if one of your top three gets a hundred, you get 300-plus.
"Fielding will be crucial [too], you'll have to see which team fields better. Sri Lanka won the last Asia Cup on [the back of their] fielding. They've long been the best fielding side in the subcontinent, right from 1996. They were outstanding in the last Asia Cup. They are holders, let's not forget, so don't discount them in Sri Lankan conditions. If India's fielding raises their bar, then they'll be an even stronger side.