The Indian head coach hopes his side won’t lose focus and confidence after facing a humiliating defeat against England.
In his interview with Times Now Navbhara, the 59-year-old admitted that once India were all out for just 78 runs on the first day of the Leeds Test, there was no coming back, and England rightfully won the match by a massive margin.
“It’s very easy, you just go back to Lord’s. Just think Lord’s, forget the last one. As simple as that. I know it’s easier said than done but we should remember your good moments as well. Such things happen in the game,”
Ravi Shastri told.
Apart from that, Shastri referred to the Lord’s Test where the chips were down and the going was getting tough when India went on to the pitch on the fifth day but still managed to win the test match from an unprecedented position.
“England was in the driver’s seat and we snatched victory. In the last Test match, they bowled brilliantly. They caught us on the hop on the very first day of the Test match, they put us on the back foot,”
Shastri added.
The Indian head coach was pleased with India’s batting efforts in the second innings wherein they scored 278 runs which was a significant increase over the mere 76 runs they had put up in the first innings.
“Even though we showed glimpses of a fight in the second innings, I think that first, you know, early dismissal of our players and getting all out for 78 played its part. But this series is wide open,”
the former India all-rounder said.
Shastri also mentioned that the pressure will be on England as they are playing at home and are expected to win the series.
He stated that people should think twice before ruling out India’s chances of winning the series before the start of the 4th Test match because of what the Virat Kohli-captained side has achieved over the last few years in the longest format of the game.
“If anyone thinks that this Indian team is going to back off, they have another one coming because at 1-1, we are playing overseas, the pressure is on England.
They have to win in their own country. We have done what we had to do with them in India. So, the ball is in their court and we will fight, there’s no question about it,”
India’s head coach concluded.
England will be expected to take a 2-1 lead in the 5-match series. India played very well in the first two Tests, but as the series enters its climax, even the most biased Indian fan will agree that the hosts are now clear favourites to win the series.
Rohit Sharma has been India’s best performer so far and will have to continue taking his time to see off the new ball. He is now ranked #5 in the Test ranking, an all-time high for the Mumbai Indians captain, which also sees him overtake Kohli in the rankings.
Craig Overton was England’s X factor in the Leeds Test as he picked up six wickets over the course of the two innings. He picked up wickets at crucial times, i.e. Rohit Sharma (19 off 105) in the first innings and KL Rahul (8 off 54), Ravindra Jadeja (30 off 25) in the second innings.
