After India’s defeat in the third Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, former India head coach Ravi Shastri criticized the Rohit Sharma-led side for being “overconfident.” However, things took an interesting turn when Indian skipper, Sharma, hit back at Shastri in a press conference ahead of the fourth Test, calling him an outsider. Despite this, Shastri’s criticism of the captain’s decisions didn’t stop there.
Following India’s struggles with the ball on the first day of the fourth Test at Ahmedabad, Shastri took another swipe at the Indian team and questioned Sharma’s decision to take a new ball towards the end of the day’s play. Shastri believes that this move gave the visiting team an advantage, which ultimately shifted the momentum towards Australia’s favour.
Shastri went on to state that India lost the plot at that very moment, as bowlers like Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami aren’t young enough to trouble the Aussie batters with a second new ball. He believes that the bowlers were tired after the day’s play and weren’t in a state to effectively use the new ball to put the opposition in a spot.
“I think India lost the plot last night. Taking the new ball was not the right thing to do considering Umesh is 35, and Shami is not getting any younger. They had bowled a lot. They were getting tired. A shorter burst with two overs is fine. But taking the new ball as early as that let Australia get away,” said Shastri.
Shastri’s comments have once again sparked a debate among cricket enthusiasts, with many questioning the captain’s decisions and the team’s overall approach to the game. The fourth Test is crucial for both teams, and it remains to be seen how India responds to Shastri’s criticism and bounces back in the series.
