Ravi Shastri Credits Bharat Arun for the Excellent Performance of the Bowling Unit
Aug 16, 2017 at 5:45 PM
For the first time in their history, Team India defeated Sri Lanka by a 3-0 margin in a Test series in the Island nation and it was simply dominance at its very best. The hosts were not able to compete in any aspects of the game and kept on crumbling under the pressure created by the Indian batsmen.
For all three matches of the series, the Indians amassed huge scores in their 1st innings and literally batted the Lankans out of the match on the 1st day itself.
Shikhar Dhawan made a dramatic comeback and smashed a couple of tons while Cheteshwar Pujara continued his dream run. Team India head coach Ravi Shastri was pretty impressed with his team’s performance and during an exclusive interview with Times of India, he spoke about India’s roadmap ahead, his bonding with the cricketers and his role with the team going forward.
Speaking on their first ever series whitewash in overseas conditions Shastri said,
“When was the last time that Sri Lanka was beaten like this at home? I’d like to wait and see how some other teams cope against this same Sri Lankan team in the near future. But then, this is not about Sri Lanka, this is about the Indian team and the manner in which they have stamped their authority here. India’s lowest score in this series (487) was still a 100-odd runs more than the best that Sri Lanka could manage throughout the three Tests. So, that should sum up the total dominance with the bat as well as the ball.”
“I’ve always maintained that winning and losing will be part of the sport. Even if this team ends up losing a game, as long as they can walk out of the field with their heads held high, knowing that they gave their best, there’s no problem whatsoever. A disciplined approach is what counts. For instance, look at this series. Barring the two no-balls in the second Test from Hardik and one in the third game from Shami, we’ve not faltered. How many catches did we drop? Two? Going forward, that is what we need to avoid altogether. It’s the effort that counts. If we have to look at the bigger picture, we’re taking away more than what the scorecard will convey,” Ravi Shastri further said on what Team India take away from a win like this.
He also shared his thoughts on the excellent performance of the Indian bowling line-up.
“Bharat Arun has known these youngsters for such a long time now. Look at Kuldeep (Yadav). Arun has been tracking Kuldeep’s growth from the under-16 days. It’s the same with some of the others. So, in that sense, there’s a sense of familiarity that is helping. We’ve always seen Kuldeep as a guy with great potential but let’s not go on harping about it. One step at a time. Not just the Test team, even the ODIs, now that we have the likes of Jasprit (Bumrah) and Axar (Patel) coming in. They’ve all worked with Arun,” Shastri said.
Hardik Pandya has impressed one and all with his exceptional all round abilities and Ravi Shastri also hailed the hard-hitting batsman who went on to smash his maiden Test century in the final Test at Pallekele.
“Hardik may still be new to Test cricket but he’s shown what a quick learner he is. As Virat said, he has been the biggest positive of this series. He was working on the cutters for the first time on the morning of the day’s play with Arun and he didn’t flinch once in going out and testing it the very same day. That kind of confidence is also what you need at this level,” Shastri said.
Speaking on Pandya’s pace and if they can look up to him when India plays only two spinners Shastri said,
“Of course. But look at Shami and Yadav. They have been relentless. Look at the kind of surfaces that were on offer and these two continuously kept clocking between 141 and 145 kmph. To watch them in action on Day Two of the game was very satisfying, knowing that these tracks hardly gave them any kind of assistance.”