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Ravi Shastri Reveals That Indian Players Were In State Of Shock After The 36 All Out Debacle

Shastri spoke about the Test series in Australia which was eventually won by Team India 2-1 despite the visitors being down 1-0 and a list of injured players.

New Delhi: Former India team player Ravi Shastri has spoken candidly about the high level and decline of his time as head coach of the Indian cricket team. Shastri spoke about the Test series in Australia which was eventually won by Team India 2-1 despite the visitors being down 1-0 and a list of injured players. However, the pain was quite evident when he spoke of India’s unprecedented collapse in the second innings of the first Test at the Adelaide Oval which saw India getting bowled out for 36 – their lowest ever total in Test cricket.

In an interview with The Week, Shastri said all the players were “numb” and “in a state of shock” as the Indian batters got bundled out in just 21.2 overs.

“See, the coach is in the firing line; there is no choice. That is the quirk of the job. You have to be ready from day one. I knew there would be no escape routes. The 36 all out was the lowest point. We had nine wickets in hand [overnight] and then we were bundled out for 36. All that had to be done was score 80-odd more runs [to be in the game]. We were all numb. We were in a state of shock for days. How could that have happened?” Shastri said.

However, Shastri did not seem to mind the criticism and owned up to the situation accordingly. He insisted that the team must commit themselves and do better from there on. The results were there to be seen as India finally won the series 2-1 and retained the Border-Gavaskar trophy.

“It was not just me. I would be the first to put my hand up and say I was the one responsible, take the brickbats; there is no place to hide. I told the boys to focus on what they could do. The boys were unbelievable. One month after that 36 all out, on January 19, we had won the series. I am still thinking, how did that happen? I promise, as long as I live, people will talk about that series win,” added Shastri.

There have been speculations that Shastri will commentate in the India tour of England starting 1st July 2022. The series will feature 3 ODI’s, 3 T20I’s and a test match.

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