India vs England | You won’t see the Indian team giving excuses on this tour, says Shastri

However, reports recently emerged on various platforms that the Men in Blue were unhappy with the pitch conditions and the outfield of the four-dayer against Essex in the county ground ahead of the first Test. The pitch conditions and heatwave were so severe that India even asked to slash a day, but coach Ravi Shastri later denied any such rumors as he said that his side won’t be giving any excuses on this tour.

“My philosophy is very simple – (in) your country, I don’t ask questions. (In) my country, you don’t ask. I said (to groundsmen) leave it, and don’t take anything off. One thing, on this trip, you will never see this Indian team giving an excuse as regarding conditions or the pitch. Our challenge is to beat them. We take pride in performing wherever we go and we want to be the best traveling side in the world. The last person to complain will be this Indian team (sic), so I want to clarify this very clearly,” Shastri said in a pre-match conference.

“The game was reduced from four days to three because of the logistics and the weather prevailing. We had an opportunity to practice three days in Birmingham, which is the Test match venue.