India vs Australia | Ravi Shastri defends his "Test win as big as World Cup win" comments

The Indian cricket team scripted history Down Under by beating the Australian team 2-1 in the recently concluded four-match Test series. The Virat Kohli-led side became the first team from the sub-continent to win a Test series in Australia and the Indian coach was absolutely delighted with the victory which came after a 71-year long wait in Australia. Shastri even compared it with India’s World Cup victory in 1983 and the win at the 1985 World Championship, where he was the Player of the Tournament, during the post-match press conference. The former all-rounder has now backed his previous statement by saying that Test cricket is real deal and it is the purest form of the sport.

“This is the purest form of cricket. A 71-year-old barrier has been broken and accolades flowing from all over the world - from the likes of Imran Khan or Viv Richards - say it all. Those who've played cricket in Australia know what it takes to win here. They're as tough as an opposition can get and nothing comes easy here. Of course, the 1983 World Cup glory is right up there and so was 1985. But I do stand by what I said - this is pure joy, this is real cricket. This is a young team, it is their moment and they should have a good sense of the kind of history they've made here. In fact, they do,” Shastri told TOI during an interview. 

After succeeding in the longest format on the tour to Australia, the Men in Blue will now take on the Aussies in a three-match ODI series. With the World Cup 2019 beginning in a few months of time, the Indian team’s focus has now shifted to limited overs cricket. They will play a five-match ODI series in New Zealand as well after the Australian tour and the coach has underlined the fact that now they are mentally switching from the longest version. 

“Yes, that's the only thing on our minds now - the World Cup. Mentally, we're already switching from red (ball) to white. Players who've been playing continuous cricket have been given a break. Bumrah, for instance. He'll have a good rest. At the same time, we'll use these matches (ODIs coming up in Australia and New Zealand) to fine-tune things. We're not bothered about winning or losing these games,” said the Indian coach. 

For the first time ever since the inception of the Indian Premier League, the tournament is going to be played just before a world tournament as the World Cup is going to be held in England this year. There has been a lot of discussion about the players getting enough rest before the World Cup and many former players and cricket experts have spoken about this. Shastri has mentioned that the 12th edition of the tournament will be all about monitoring the players keeping the World Cup in mind. 

“We've been in touch with the BCCI and CoA in this regard. We have certain plans in place and we'll be looking to follow them. Usually, the two months of IPL are seen as relatively free months for me and I can just sit down and enjoy the cricket, watch out for new, young talents that keep emerging. But this IPL will be about monitoring the players, keeping the World Cup in mind. There's a lot coming up and you'll see the right measures being taken. The trainer, physios, assistant coaches, the captain, me - we're all in touch with the Board to make this work,” explained Shastri.