Who cares what people say? Look at the scoreboard, Ravi Shastri slams critics

The new-age Indian team’s biggest criticism has been their affinity to hack and chop the squad every now and then with many blaming that players haven’t been given the chance to settle. Over the last two years, barring the core few, the squad has been reshuffled and revamped with Kohli and Shastri claiming that it was to get the best possible combination for the World Cup.

Now, with India winning their first ever Test series in Australia keeping the same method, Shastri didn’t hold back to answer back to his critics.   

“Who cares what people say? Look at the scoreboard, look at the results and rests is history, you can keep jabbering away. I always believed the people who jabber away are in the minority. You don’t know the millions of fans that this Indian team has, you outnumber the jabbering crowd,” said the coach in an interview with India Today.

“If you are scared of experimenting then you’ll never know what is the right combination. You might make mistakes and why do you make mistakes... so that you learn from those mistakes. But you’ll be dumb if you keep making those mistakes, so get smart. Learn from your mistakes,” Shastri added.

Kohli seconded his coach on the topic by pitching in. He said, “There has been no Indian team that has won in three countries in a year. We won a Test match in South Africa, won a Test match in England and won a Test match in Australia. You have to take your chances to realise what is the best combination.” 

While captain Kohli didn’t roar with his bat in the Test series managing just 282 runs in four Test matches, he was present on the field with his constant bickering with Tim Paine and animated celebrations being Australian media’s biggest subject of discussion. And coach Shastri has heaped praise on him calling him the right inspiration for others.

“As a player in the team, you want to emulate him, you want to get behind him. It makes the team more confident, the youngsters more confident. Players who come into the team and pick it up straight away. It makes a world of difference. That passion and the drive give confidence to the bowlers. It serves more than one role.

“When you see him on the field with that kind of passion, where he is so expressive.. it makes a world of difference. Every time he goes out to bat, the whole Australian team wants him to get out. But to take that kind of pressure and lead from the from... it takes some serious marbles,” Shastri said.

India ends their Australian tour with a three-match one-day series starting in Sydney on Saturday.