India vs England | Team still positive despite two straight defeats, claims Ravi Shastri
Despite suffering back-to-back defeats in Test series, Ravi Shastri has asserted that Team India is confident enough to fight back. The morale of the side has not been hampered by the defeats and Shastri said that the players have to stay positive and believe in themselves ahead of the third Test.
“I told them: ‘You have been in this position couple of times before and you have responded. There is no reason why [you cannot do it again.]’ One thing’s for sure: in this unit, there is no negative bone. In spite of what happened in the last Test match — OK, conditions
The Indian batsmen, apart from skipper Virat Kohli, have failed to contribute enough to the team's cause in the four innings so far in the series which is a worrying sign for the team management. Ravichandran Ashwin was the top
“Conditions have been tough as you have seen right through this series. But that’s where character comes into play and discipline comes into play, the resolve to know where your off stump is, leave a lot of balls, be prepared to look ugly and dirty and show some grit,” stated Shastri.
When asked about Ajinkya Rahane’s form, Shastri said that batsmen from both the sides have struggled in the series so far and it is not good to single out one player. The Indian head coach backed Rahane to get back his lost form quickly.
“Batsmen from both teams have struggled. When the occasion demands, it’s a case of mental resolve, how you put mind over matter. Mental discipline will be the key as far as batsmen are concerned going forward in this Test match. He (Rahane) is one of our pillars and he will remain one of our pillars,” explained Shastri.
Team selection has been a very difficult subject to deal with for both Shastri and skipper Kohli. Kohli had earlier admitted that the selection of Kuldeep Yadav in the second Test was not a correct decision and even Shastri said the same during the press conference.
“In hindsight, it was an error. We should have gone, seeing the conditions, with an extra seamer. It might have helped. Then again, you didn’t know how much it would rain, whether a match could go into the final day where just in case spinner is needed and the ball starts to turn, would we have needed him. But in hindsight the way things panned out, the amount it rained, the time we lost, a seamer could have been a better option,” said Shastri.
The third Test match of the India-England series is scheduled to begin from August 18 in Nottingham.
