Ravi Shastri confident of Indian spinners doing well in South Africa
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Ravi Shastri has expressed his confidence on the spinners and stated that R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja will definitely prove their worth in the upcoming SA tour. Shastri has also stated that it’s just a matter of time for Ajinkya Rahane, who failed to play big innings, to regain his old mojo back.
After completing the home series against Sri Lanka, India will visit South Africa under Virat Kohli’s captaincy and the team includes both the top spinners of India - Jadeja
“Kuldeep is still young, just turning 23. His time will come. For this tour, the combination of Ashwin and Jadeja is still our best step forward. The kind of tracks that will be made available to us in South Africa won't come in too handy for a wrist spinner, which is what Kuldeep is. That aside, this is going to be a long journey and there are multiple things to focus on, including the next World Cup (2019). Right now, Ashwin is fresh after two busy seasons post the 2015 World Cup. When you look at the overall combination of this attack, it rounds off very well. That aside, both Ashwin and Jadeja can bat. Putting runs on the board will be as important as picking wickets,” Shastri told TOI.
Team India performed exceptionally well throughout this year whether it is the longest format or shortest format of the game. But, the scenario is changing in the recent time as the Indian cricket team is being considered as a good team in their home conditions and were labeled as terrible
“This team is looking good and they have their priorities in place. They're hungry to prove themselves at home and away. For two years, barring the tour of Sri Lanka in July and August, we played at home, especially the whole of 2016, and while that was a job well done, these boys understand the importance of the year 2018. Frankly, we're not too hooked on to this "home and away" thing where a lot of chatter goes on about conditions that aren't too familiar. For instance, once you've played a Test match in Kolkata, how long does it take before you play another Test there? Two years? Sometimes three? It's the same as an overseas tour. So that mindset is quite passe'. In this day and age, wherever you go, it's home. You just got to walk in there and perform. It's often been argued that India are poor travelers. We want to be the team that helped change this perception and this is the year to do it,” the 55-year-old said.
Gujarat pacer Bumrah earned a maiden call-up in the 17-member Test squad for South Africa tour thanks to his ability to operate with both the old and new ball in the seamer-friendly conditions that South Africa has to offer. Bumrah, who has 52 and 40 wickets respectively from 28 ODIs and 3O T20Is, has not played a single first-class match this season, but Shastri defended Bumrah’s inclusion and stated that his unique bowling action will add a lot of value to the bowling attack.
“Well, he has just worked his way to the top so well. He's young, hard-working, and has a unique action with which he can whip up quite some pace. Bumrah adds a lot of value to this attack. We have to earn those 20 wickets if we have to make
Ajinkya Rahane has played 43 Tests in his career in which he scored 2826 runs at an average of 44.15 but in the recent past, he seemed struggling for form. This year he played 11 matches in which he scored just 554 runs with only one century. In his last three games, he managed just 17 runs in five innings against Sri Lanka. However, the head coach didn’t seem much bothered by it as stated that he will soon find his groove.Â
“Ajinkya has had a poor run but it's a matter of time before he regains his touch. He'll be fine. Players also rise to an occasion and Ajinkya has proved himself in tougher times. We're not too worried about the batting front and that's because of the variety that's available. For instance, look at Virat's last two tours of Australia. On the first trip he struggled, and the next time he was there, he batted like a champion. These boys know what it takes to fight off a good challenge. Their minds are constantly in tune with these challenges, and with age, you don't just get better at the game but you also begin to think bigger, become mentally stronger. It's the same with the core of this team,” Shastri opined.
The South Africa tour is considered to be a challenging one for the Team India as the players will face the bouncy and fast tracks over there. Kohli had demanded similar kind of pitch during the Test series against Sri Lanka so that it can help on the upcoming tour. And now, Shastri, who took over the charge of the team after the resignation of Anil Kumble, claimed that Indian pacers will do well in the foreign soil and Hardik Pandya will support from the other end.
“We had particularly asked for pitches of a certain kind against Sri Lanka, fast and bouncy tracks. We got an excellent track to play on at the Eden Gardens. Not much could've been done in Nagpur because the pitch was ready and Delhi was again slightly in line with what we expected. Now, look at the attack that we have. There's Shami, Bhuvi, Ishant, Umesh, and Bumrah. Then there's a good option in Hardik. Eden Gardens or Cape Town, they're perfectly capable of settling down in any "conditions",” he stated.
