Former India captain hits back at Ravi Shastri

Sunil Gavaskar has taken a dig at Ravi Shastri and his Indian team for their failure to perform overseas. Shastri, despite India’s recent defeat in the five-match Test series against England, praised his team for their spirit, claiming that the current lot are the ‘best touring team’ in the last couple of decades.

“I can’t see any other Indian team in the last 15-20 years that has had the same run in such a short time, and you have had some great players playing in those series. So the promise is there, and it’s just about getting tougher mentally,” Shastri said while addressing the media ahead of the fifth and final Test of the ongoing England series.

“You have got to hurt when you lose matches because that’s when you look within and come out with the right kind of answers to combat such situations and get past the finishing line. One day you will if you believe,” he added.

However, Gavaskar has hit back, stating that the current team have struggled to live up to expectations, failing to put up convincing performances in countries like England and South Africa. He also pointed out that their only series wins outside India came in Sri Lanka while teams of the past notched victories in daunting places like the West Indies among others.

“In Sri Lanka, not too many Indian captains and teams have won. West Indies, England and South Africa, previous teams have won matches in the last 15-20 years. I think this was his [Ravi Shastri] view and perhaps only he can speak about it. What I can say is teams in 1980s have won in England and West Indies,” Gavaskar explained.

The former Indian opener also cited the increasing frequency of T20I and ODI series as the reason for the team’s failure as players are simply not equipped with the right technique, failing to play long innings as a result.

India begin their final match of the series against England today and will be hoping for a spirited display to end the tour on a high.