'You guys whipped us, when are you going back", Proteas fans tell India coaches

After going 2-0 down in the Test series, the Men in Blue showed great character to pull themselves back and turnaround their fortunes. And eventually, the Indian team etched history as they went on to record their first ever series win in South Africa. Following the consecutive defeats in Cape Town and Centurion, there was no looking back as the Kohli-led team clinched the final Test at Johannesburg and then went on a winning spree claiming both the ODI and the T20 series comprehensively. India won the one-dayers 5-1 and the T20I leg 2-1.

During an interaction with Mid-Day, India coach Ravi Shastri revealed it was all possible after a brainstorming session where the team analyzed what went wrong in the first two Tests. He then cited an incident that highlighted that the South African fans were in awe of India’s dominance in the limited-overs internationals. Shastri said during the interview, “(Bowling coach Bharat) Arun and R Sridhar (fielding coach) went shopping on Sunday and were told, ‘When are you guys going back? You’ve given us a whipping, we’ve had enough.’ This is the ultimate!”

He added, “Every South African was standing up and applauding. If you make a couple of calls there, you will know what they feel (about India’s performance). I walked through a mall and there were people saying, ‘coach… outstanding!”

Dhoni not to be a part of India for Nidahas Trophy

After a successful tour of South Africa, the Indian team will now be travelling to neighbours Sri Lanka for a T20 tri-series. Named the Nidahas Trophy, the tournament marks Sri Lanka’s 70 years of independence. The third team feature in the tri-nation series is subcontinent rivals Bangladesh.

Former India skipper MS Dhoni, who has been a regular for the Men in Blue in the limited-overs set-up was dropped. However, Chairman of selectors MSK Prasad cleared all airs regarding his place in the squad stating, “MS Dhoni was not available for selection as he had requested for rest.”