"Ravi Shastri and Ajinkya Rahane kept fighting"- Shardul Thakur narrates team India's horrific experience in Australia

India fast-bowler Shardul Thakur has opened up about the ill-treatment meted to the Indian team by the hosts during the 2020-21 tour of Australia. India had registered a famous 2-1 series win on that tour to clinch their second consecutive Test series win on Australian soil.

The series had started on a disastrous note for Team India. Australia had bowled them out for just 36 runs in the second innings of the first Test and went on to win the game by 8 wickets. With captain Virat Kohli leaving the team after the first Test to be with his pregnant wife, India had their back against the wall.

Mohammed Shami was also ruled out of the series after suffering a fractured arm in the first Test. Not many expected Team India to even challenge the Australians in the remaining three Tests, let alone winning the series. However, the Indian team went on to stage a remarkable comeback and showed extraordinary resilience to win the series 2-1.

India won the second Test in Melbourne by 8 wickets before pulling off a memorable draw in the third Test in Sydney. In the fourth Test, the Ajinkya Rahane-led side beat Australia by 3 wickets at the Gabba to complete a remarkable series win.

More than three years after the famous win, Shardul Thakur has revealed how badly the team was treated by the Australians during the tour. The Mumbai star called the treatment horrible as he recalled the tour.

He also recalled the Queensland government's response after the Indian team expressed unwillingness to serve 14-day quarantine in Brisbane. Queensland's Health Shadow Minister Ros Bates had said, 'If the Indians don’t want to play by the rules, don’t come.'

"The way they treated us was very horrible. Four or five days, there won't be any housekeeping services in the hotel. You want to change your bedsheets, you would have to walk up the stairs for four or five floors, get the bedsheets," said Shardul Thakur at a recent event.

"When you're tired, come, change it, do your own things. Going from Sydney to Brisbane, we also heard the governor, the lady governor of Queensland saying that if Indians don't want to come here, well, don't come. We don't want to host them or we're not happy hosting them," he added.

Tim Paine was absolutely lying: Shardul Thakur

Speaking further, Shardul Thakur hit out at former Australia skipper Tim Paine as well and accused him of lying. He also said that head coach Ravi Shastri and captain Ajinkya Rahane were in a regular fight with Cricket Australia to get the things that were needed for the team.

"There were a lot of negative things that were being said about us to put us under pressure. I heard some interviews from Tim Paine. That man was absolutely lying because he was just saving himself by making up things in the media and covering up that we didn't put any pressure on the Indian team and we gave them whatever they wanted," said Shardul Thakur.

"But I know the truth of it. Our coach Ravi Shastri, Virat had left, and Ajinkya was leading. They both were in a regular fight with the cricketing board of Australia to get the things that we wanted," he added.

Shardul Thakur on 2020-21 BGT in Australia:🗣️-

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