Ravi Shastri’s experience and game sense benefited Indian players, feels Inzamam-Ul-Haq
Following India’s historic Test series win in Australia, former Pakistan skipper Inzamam-Ul-Haq has credited Ravi Shastri saying the Indian coach has instilled a sense of game sense which is helping the players big-time.
Even though India beat Australia in Australia last time around in 2018-19, the victory in 2020-21 has been of historical significance considering the number of injuries the team had suffered during the tour. With over 10 players missing, India had a herculean task of giving Australia a run for their money but they never gave up.
Not only have they breached Australia’s fortress Gabba, but they also did that in some style which has left the world gasping for breathe. Inzamam-Ul-Haq has been extremely impressed by India’s performance and while he credited Virat Kohli for making this Indian side tougher, the legendary cricketer put it down to Ravi Shastri whose contributions slipped under the carpet.
“The Indian team has always had great players, especially in batting, but they used to lack a bit of aggression. I feel that since Virat became captain he has an aggressive personality and it can be seen when he is batting or when he is in the field or the way he does his captaincy. So, I think he has brought that aggression factor in the team,” Inzamam was quoted as saying by ANI.
“Another factor about which no one is talking is Ravi Shastri… The experience and game sense that he has have benefited the players… He was a big cricketer and they faced tough situations, but he did not let his team go down and lifted them,”
Inzamam-Ul-Haq credits Dravid for creating structure
India have a robust domestic and A-cricket structure, coupled with the strict Under-19 system, which reaped dividends on the international stage. Rahul Dravid, who is currently working as the head of the National Cricket Academy, was the major architect behind the system and Inzamam credited the former Indian skipper for his work which, he feels, is helping the team produce ready products for international cricket.
“Beating Australia at their home is tough and I have never seen in my life a team as young as this to win a series in Australia. I was looking behind the reason what made this possible. I found out that Rishabh Pant and Sundar, they have played 2016 Under 19 World Cup.
“And then Shubman Gill and [Prithvi] Shaw played the 2018 Under-19 World Cup. Also, the likes of Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini, Hanuma Vihari, and (Mayank) Agarwal have played a lot of cricket for India A. So, I have realized that they strengthened their base, through Rahul Dravid. Dravid was called ‘The Wall’ because he could play in any conditions and was mentally strong. So, what Dravid did was he improved the bowlers’ mental toughness.”