Former India chief coach Ravi Shastri has come down hard on the Indian batsmen for their poor performance against Australia in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. Shastri was not happy with the performance of the batsmen on the last day when they failed to save the match despite being in a good position.
The former Indian all-rounder mentioned criticism from “two senior players and one young player”. Although he did not mention names, it was clear that he was referring to Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant.
Ravi Shastri also compared the performances of both the captains, Rohit Sharma and Pat Cummins. While Cummins has been extremely good raising his standards throughout the series, Rohit has been miserable and under-performed.
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Ravi Shastri plays a brutal prank on Indian batsmen
Writing for his column in The Daily Telegraph, Sydney, Ravi Shastri was pleased with the way Indian fans filled the stadiums and felt it was a good advertisement for Test cricket.
“It was amazing to see the Indian crowd that had traveled from all parts of the world to experience the best of Test cricket at the ‘G (MCG),” remarked Shastri.
However, he also feels that the Indian batsmen played some poor shots on the fifth day which ultimately cost them the match. India’s former chief coach admitted that India had lost control of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
“Unfortunately for them, some poor shot selections on either side of the middle session on the final day cost India the game. And probably ensured that India might lose control of the Border Gavaskar Trophy with one Test to go,” he added. .
Ravi Shastri compares Rohit Sharma and Pat Cummins
While comparing the captains of both the teams, Shastri praised Cummins for taking his game to a higher level. Cummins got off to a slow start but got into a rhythm from the next match. On the other hand, Rohit Sharma has looked well below par so far. The Indian captain doesn’t have enough runs and he hasn’t had a great series as a captain either.
“There will be several other dismissals in the second innings that will also be scrutinized in India, including two senior players and a youngster. Three very loose shots. It doesn’t help when one of them involved a struggling captain,” explained Shastri.
“It also doesn’t help when Cummins raises his game to an 8 or 9 scale when he goes up against his opponent, who is at the opposite end of the scale,” the former Indian all-rounder added.
The dismissal of Rishabh Pant was a turning point
As Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s poor form continued in Melbourne, Rishabh Pant came under heavy scrutiny when he attempted a big shot from half-tracker Travis Head but was caught in the deep.
Pant’s wicket was a turning point as India started losing wickets in clusters from that point on. All the three players, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant had a disappointing series with the bat with Rohit scoring the least runs among them.
