Fighting against odds in overseas Tests 'high point' of Shastri's journey as India head coach

By Vishesh Roy
New Delhi [India], November 9 : "In Rahul Dravid, they've got a guy who has inherited a great team and I think with his experience, he can only raise the bar in time to come," said outgoing coach Ravi Shastri as he ended his stint with the Men in Blue on Monday. Never to hold back on what he actually feels, Shastri leaves a rich legacy behind and lovers of the game will truly be indebted to him for what he achieved, especially in the Test format.
It was in July 2017 when Shastri, the former team director, returned as head coach of the national side -- appointed by the Cricket Advisory Committee comprising Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, and VVS Laxman. In June 2019, Shastri's tenure was extended by 45 days.
A few months later, he was re-appointed as the head coach of the senior men's Indian team, with his new contract extending up to the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). In more than four years in charge, Shastri saw Team India dominate Test cricket, barring the loss in World Test Championship (WTC) final. When it comes to bilateral ODI and T20Is, Men in Blue were a force to be reckoned with but it was in the ICC tournaments where Team India had to face disappointment.
Under Shastri, Team India played the 2019 World Cup, World Test Championship, and T20 World Cup. While in the ODI World Cup, India managed to reach the semi-finals. But considering that as achievement would not go down well as the Men in Blue were favourites to lift the title.
The biggest high for Shastri would be the success the team enjoyed in the longest format of the game. Shastri and company, comprising bowling coach Bharat Arun managed to create a fast-bowling arsenal to be really proud of, and the investment paid off in the series win Down Under -- twice.
Shastri has two series wins in Australia (2018-19 and 2020-21) to boast of. It is something not many teams have achieved, leave alone any Indian side. While the naysayers argued that Australia was not full strength in 2018-19 with David Warner and Steve Smith missing out, the tide was completely the opposite in 2020-21.
The Indian side was down and out going into the second Test of the four-match series against Australia. Bowled out for 36 in the Adelaide Test, and losing Virat Kohli, not many gave India a chance of winning. But the second Test at Melbourne marked a reasonable change and India got back to winning ways. Team India kept on losing players due to injuries in the series, but everyone stepped up and punched above its weight to hand Shastri and Co a series win to be really proud of.
Under Shastri, Team India played 43 Tests, out of which the side won 25 and lost 13. Not to forget, Shastri and Co also have a good showing in England on their CV. Team India lead the five-match series 2-1 and the final match of the series will be played next year.
Team India played 76 ODIs and 65 T20Is under Shastri. The Men in Blue managed to win 51 ODIs and 43 T20Is. Bilateral series is where the Men in Blue dominated, but the ICC title kept on eluding Shastri and Kohli, and it is safe to say that the wheels came off in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup which was the last assignment for Shastri.
Men in Blue looked completely out of sorts against Pakistan and New Zealand, and it is the biggest reason that India failed to reach the semi-finals stage. While Shastri might have said that Team India was potentially mentally drained and there was no X factor, no reason will be good enough to explain India not reaching the semi-finals.
However, keeping ICC titles aside, Shastri and his team need to be appreciated what they managed to achieve in the longest format and it is safe to credit the team for bringing back the interest in the longest format. Striving for success overseas in Tests was always Shastri's goal and he managed to achieve it, and one can just hope, it stays the same under Rahul Dravid.