Ravi Shastri tears into ‘Two seniors and a youngster’ as India lose grip on BGT

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri launched a scathing attack on India's batters for their dismal batting performance against Australia in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. Shastri was not pleased with the batters' performance on the last day where they failed to save the match despite being in a good position.

The former India allrounder mentioned "two senior players and a youngster" criticism. While he didn't mention the 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 performed exceptionally well by raising his standards over the course of the series, Rohit has been miserable and has produced under-par performances.

Also read: Rishabh Pant set to be dropped for Sydney Test, replacement finalized

Ravi Shastri takes a brutal jibe at Indian batters

While writing for his column in The Daily Telegraph, Sydney, Ravi Shastri was pleased with the way Indian crowds have filled up the stadiums and feels that it is a good advertisement for Test cricket.

"It was amazing to see the Indian crowds having travelled from all parts of the globe to come experience Test cricket at its best at the ‘G (MCG)," Shastri observed.

However, he also feels that Indian batters played some poor shots on the fifth day which ultimately cost them the game. The former India head coach admitted that India have lost the grip on the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

"Unfortunately for them, some poor shot selection on either side of the middle session on the final day cost India the game. And probably has ensured that India may have lost their grip on 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 teams, Shastri hailed Cummins for raising his game to a new level. Cummins started slowly but got into his rhythm from the next match. On the other hand, Rohit Sharma has looked well below par so far. The Indian skipper is way short of runs and hasn't had a great series as a captain as well.

“There will be a few of other second-innings dismissals that will be scrutinised in India as well, involving two senior players and a youngster. Three very loose shots. It doesn’t help when one of it involved the captain who is struggling," Shastri explained.

"Also doesn’t help when Cummins raises his game to a scale of 8 or 9 when up against his counterpart, who is at the opposite end of the scale,” the former India allrounder added.

Rishabh Pant's dismissal was the turning point

While Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's poor form continued in Melbourne, Rishabh Pant's release shot came under a lot of scrutiny when he tried to attempt a big shot off Travis Head's half-tracker but was caught in the deep.

Pant's wicket was the turning point as India started losing wickets in clusters from that point. All three players, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Rishabh Pant have had a disappointing series with the bat with Rohit having scored the fewest runs among them.