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India vs Australia | Virat Kohli Has Been With us Despite Not Being Here: Ravi Shastri

Ravi Shastri further talked about the importance of flamboyant wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant on the overseas tours.

Team India head coach Ravi Shastri heaped huge praises on the players after historic 2-1 Test series win series win over Australia on Tuesday. The visitors breached Australia’s fortress – The Gabba and won the match by 3 three wickets to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. It was India’s back to back Test series win in Australia Down Under, earlier they beat the hosts during 2018/19 tour and both times Shastri was the coach of India.

On the mega victory, Shastri said he is lost of words and hailed the characters of the players after a humiliating defeat in Adelaide.

” The boys have performed so well that I am lost for words. The character of this team is amazing especially after the 36 all out at Adelaide,” Shastri said after the match.

The head coach further hailed the regular skipper Virat Kohli, who returned to India for the birth of his first child, and said he was with the team despite not being physically present.

“This team wasn’t built over night. Virat has been with us despite not being here. His intensity rubbed on to everyone else. Rahane might look calm but he is a strong man from inside. A tough character,” said Shastri.

After Kohli’s departure, several former cricketers and fans predicted a whitewash for Team India but Ajinkya Rahane took over the charge and bounced back in the series in the best possible way with a Boxing Day Test victory.

Shastri further talked about importance of flamboyant wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant on the overseas tours. Pant played a monumental role in India’s memorable win over Australia in Brisbane with an unbeaten 89-run knock.

“We play Pant abroad because he is a match-winner. When he doesn’t keep well, people criticize him. But he can help you win matches like these. Had he stuck around for some time in Sydney, he could have won us that game as well. He has been brilliant and that’s why we back him,”

The 58-year-old also lavished praise on the young players like Washington Sundar, T Natarajan and Shardul Thakur who were not initially selected to play in the four-match Test series.

“Washington Sundar was a net bowler, Natarajan was a net bowler. But they have played so well. Sundar batted as if he had already played 20 Tests. Same with Shardul who has played a lot of first-class cricket but did well at the top level. This is a big series win. I don’t think the cricketing world will forget this. Some of us were in a lockdown for some 6 months whereas cricket had started in some other part of the world. To come here and play the way we have despite having our main bowlers injured, is phenomenal. The players know when they cross the boundary line, they are playing for India,” Shastri added.

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