SA vs IND 2018: "Another ten days, would have made a difference."- Ravi Shastri

Published - 22 Jan 2018, 08:28 PM | Updated - 22 Aug 2024, 11:48 PM

Ravis Shastri, Head Coach, Team India, Dj Wale Babu, Happy New Year, 2018, South Africa Vs India,
Ravi Shastri shares a cordial bound with Team India skipper Virat Kohli. Photo Credit: BCCI.

The Indian team has already lost the three-match Test series and will be looking to salvage some pride in the third Test and perform better. India’s head coach Ravi Shastri feels that the Indian team must rectify their past mistakes and take responsibility on their own. Shastri has also added that the players have been told about it as well.

Lungi Ngidi
South African bowler Lungi Ngidi (CR) celebrates the dismissal of Indian batsman Lokesh Rahul (R) during the fourth day of the second Test cricket match between South Africa and India at Supersport cricket ground on January 16, 2018, in Centurion. / AFP PHOTO / GIANLUIGI GUERCIA (Photo credit should read GIANLUIGI GUERCIA/AFP/Getty Images)

The Matter-:

Indian batsmen have been struggling in the fast and bouncy pitches in South Africa, and the Proteas fast bowlers have been ruthless in their approach. None of the Indian batsmen has been able to look comfortable against seam and bounce except for Virat Kohli who scored a brilliant 153 in the first innings of the second Test.

South Africa Vs India 2018, Centurion, Second Test, Five Talking Points, Lungi Ngidi, Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers
One of the talking points is Cheteshwar Pujara’s suicidal run out. Photo Credit: Getty Images.

India’s most reliable batsman in the Test format Chesteshwar Pujara has struggled miserably in the ongoing series and has scored just 49 runs in the four innings. Moreover, he was dismissed run-out in both the innings of the second Test adding more trouble for the Indian batsmen.

Shastri’s Say on the matter-:

When asked about how he felt when the batsman threw his wicket away in such a manner Shastri said:

“It feels sad, as it is the conditions are tough and then a batsman gets run out, it adds to the miseries. There’s no doubt about that. And you hope you learn from those mistakes at times school boy errors which are to be rectified. You know in tough conditions where there’s not much between the two teams you can’t afford to give away wickets like that and the boys have been told about that.”

South Africa Vs India, Centurion, Virat Kohli, Lungi Ngidi, 2nd Test, Five Talking Points
South Africa Vs India: India falters early on. Photo Credit: Getty Images.

Shastri also added that they would not moan about the pitches being tough for them but added that another ten days of practice would have made a lot of difference:

“We are not here to moan about the tracks because like I said at the start of the game both teams play on the same surface. The good thing though is people wont crib and moan when matches in India get over in two and a half days. Neither will they ask me what kind of track are you playing on. In hindsight, I would say another ten days of practice here would have made a difference. But that’s no excuse. The pitch we play on, it’s the same for both sides and I would rather focus on the 20 wickets we have taken. That has given us a chance in both test matches to win games. Yes our top order, if we can fire, it will be a good test match.”

Virat Kohli, South Africa Vs India, Vernon Philander,
Hardik Pandya was dismissed on one in the second innings after 93 in the first. Photo Credit: Getty Images.

Conclusion-:

The Indian team must learn from these mistakes and plan well in advance for their future away tours. India’s next away tour is of England in July, and the Indian management should start planning to play some warm-up matches before the start of the series.

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