'How can the standard go down suddenly?' - Former coach Ravi Shastri backs India post dismal performances in South Africa
Ravi Shastri feels India doesn't become a bad team after losing just one series.
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After drawing first blood in the Centurion Test, it all went downhill for Team India on South Africa tour as they went on to lose the next two games from a position of strength before being whitewashed in the ODI series that followed. Despite a forgettable outing in the just-concluded bilateral series against South Africa, former India coach Ravi Shastri has backed the Men In Blue and said that no team can always win all the matches.
At the same time, Shastri also mentioned that a team is criticized if it loses a series but practically, there will be wins and losses in a game.
“If you lose one series, you people start criticizing… You can’t win every game, there will be wins and losses,” Shastri, who ended his tenure after the T20 World Cup in UAE last year, said according to Times of India on the sidelines of the ongoing Legends League Cricket.
Ravi Shastri says India’s cricketing standards have not gone down
At the same time, the ex-all-rounder has also made it clear that one bad series does not mean that the Indian team’s standards have gone down. Giving further clarification on the same, he added that the team has been the top side in the world for half a decade. Furthermore, he added that the recent setback is temporary.
“How can the standard go down suddenly? For five years, you have been the number one side in the world. When you have a win ratio of 65 percent over the last five years, what is there to worry about? What is there to worry about, our rival teams should worry,” he said.
As far as the South Africa tour is concerned, India came close to ending the tour with a win. But they lost the game by just four runs. The Proteas posted 287 runs in the final ODI riding on a brilliant 124 from opener Quinton de Kock. In reply, Shikhar Dhawan (61) and Virat Kohli (65) added 98 runs for the opening stand before Suryakumar Yadav reduced the deficit with a vital knock of a 32-ball 39.
After his dismissal, the visitors were reeling at 210/6 before Deepak Chahar’s whirlwind knock (54 off 34 balls) brought India within touching distance. He was dismissed in the 48th over when he miscued one while attempting a big shot and once he was out, the brittle lower-order failed to rise to the occasion as the Men In Blue fell agonizingly short by four runs.
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