India head coach Ravi Shastri called for a more stoic effort from his side, while lauding their positive outlook in the build-up to the third Test against England at Trent Bridge after a crushing innings-defeat at Lord’s that left the tourists 2-0 down in the series.
He urged his side to show belief in the face of adversity, calling for a no-excuses approach after conditions favoured the English in a rain-hit second Test.
“Believe in yourself, you’ve been in this position a couple of times before and you’ve responded. One thing for sure in this unit is that there’s no negative bone. In spite of what happened in the last Test match where conditions favoured England, but that’s no excuse whatsoever. It can happen to any side. We are here without a negative bone, with one thing: to play to win, simple as that,” he said.
“Conditions have been tough as you’ve seen right through this series but that’s where character comes into play and mental discipline comes into play. The resolve to know where your off-stump is, to leave a lot of balls, to be prepared to look ugly and dirty and show some grit.”
Shastri conceded that the selection committee had perhaps made the wrong call regarding Kuldeep Yadav’s inclusion at Lord’s.
“In hindsight it was en error, seeing the conditions we could have gone with an extra seamer and it might have helped, but then again, you didn’t know how much it would rain, whether the match would go into the final day in case a spinner was needed when the ball started to turn.
“In hindsight with the way things panned out, the amount of rain and the amount of time we lost, yeah, seam up would have been a better option.”
Team selection is under great scrutiny for both sides going into the match at Trent Bridge, as England ponder whether there is a place for the returning Ben Stokes, and India search for their best XI having struggled to nail down their batting line-up in the first two Tests. Shastri was quick to defend batsman Ajinkya Rahane who is averaging 12 with the bat in this series, and coy regarding the potential call-up for young wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant, but remained confident that captain Virat Kohli would be in good shape after a back problem.
Shastri was more straightforward in his assessment of England and Stokes’ selection dilemma.
“We focus on cricket. He’s a terrific cricketer and we like to play against top cricketers, as simple as that. He’s been cleared by the courts, what’s the reason for him not to play? If I was in England’s position, I would have wanted him to play.”
