NEW DELHI: Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has advised Team India to put the 3-0 loss against New Zealand behind them and focus on the season ahead Border Gavaskar Trophy against Australia.
The unprecedented whitewash underneath Rohit SharmaThe s lead marked India's first home Test series defeat in 12 years, which had a significant impact on the ICC World Test Championship Table position.
Shastri remains positive about India's prospects of qualifying for next year's World Test Championship final at Lord's and encourages the team to maintain an optimistic approach. “India will be saddened by this series loss against New Zealand because they were caught by surprise. “They were a little complacent and paid the price. However, this Indian team is very proud,” Shastri said in the latest episode of The ICC Review.
To secure a place in the World Test Championship final, India will need to win four out of five matches in Australia. Their campaign begins with the first Test in Perth on November 22nd.
Notable is India's previous success with strong starts on away tours, particularly during the 2018-19 tour of Australia, where the team claimed its first Test victory, defeating Australia by 31 runs in Adelaide, with Cheteshwar Pujara scoring a remarkable century.
Shastri stressed the importance of starting the Australian tour on a positive note to get back into the swing of things.
“It would be detrimental to them and they want to get back on track as quickly as possible. The best way to bounce back from a series like this is to start a new one strong. Therefore, the first two tests become extremely important,” he said.
“KL Rahul will develop in the next three to five years”
The 62-year-old advised the team management to focus on previous successes and take inspiration from their successful Australian tours.
India achieved its first Test series win in Australia in 2018 Virat KohliHe took over the captaincy and repeated this success in 2021 despite the absence of several key players.
“The key will be to make sure they start well and keep the players in a good mood. This will be the most important job of the coach,” Shastri added.
He highlighted the potential role of Indian batsmen in creating an early advantage.
“Confidence is key. They need to focus on the positive, reflect on what they achieved last time in Australia and build on that. Putting the defeat in New Zealand behind you. These are different conditions and some Australian tracks are the best places to hit. “Once you settle in, it will be a completely different scenario when they are out there,” Shastri concluded.
