Shastri hails Kohli and Co as best Indian side in last 15-20 years

New Delhi: From a 0-2 down at Lord’s to a 1-2 up in the series at Trent Bridge that even spurred the question as to whether Virat Kohli-led India can emulate the greatest Test feat of all time set by Don Bradman’s Australia in 1936-37 tour. A whole lot of build-up and expectation surrounded the Indian team as they took on England at Southampton, but with the visitors failing to perform as a unit, the hosts won by 60 runs and thus wrapped up the series. Criticisms surrounded the team, once again, from all corners of the cricketing fraternity, but the head coach Ravi Shastri jumped to defend his team calling them the best Indian side on overseas tours in the last 15-20 years. Strangely, those series have mostly come against Sri Lanka and West Indies.Shastri proudly boasted of the Kohli-led Indian side on foreign soil as he put stats and number of wins over the last three years. However, India have played Sri Lanka twice last year (home and away) and West Indies as part of their overseas tours apart from defeating the two along with Australia, New Zealand, and England at home. And in 2018, they won just one Test match against South Africa in the Test series and one in England at Trent Bridge. India’s last series victory in a SENA country had come back in 2009 when they took down New Zealand 1-0 in a three-match series.Speaking in a presser at the Oval, Shastri said, “As far as crossing the line goes, you have to give credit to Moeen Ali there on the last day (in Southampton). To be honest, he bowled magnificently. As hard as our guys tried, England were one-up on us there. Nothing to take away (from them). The endeavour of this team is to travel well, compete and win. If you look at the last three years, we have won nine matches overseas and three series.”I can’t see any other Indian team in the last 15-20 years that has had the same run in such a short time, and you have had some great players playing in those series. So the promise is there, it is just about getting tougher mentally, you have got to hurt when you lose matches because that’s when you look within and come out with the right kind of answers, to combat such situations and get past the finishing line. One day you will if you believe.”Shastri also said that the team has to learn how take the initiative and close the games at pressure situations. “I think you have got to get tough mentally,” Shastri started. “We have run teams close overseas and we have competed. But now it’s not about competing. We have to win games from here. Now the endeavour is to understand where you made the mistakes and take it head on and try to correct it. Fact of the matter is you had a chance.”The scoreline says 3-1 which means India have lost the series, what the scoreline doesn’t say that India could have been 3-1 or it could have been 2-2. And my team knows it. They would have hurt and rightly so after the last game. But this is a team that will not throw in the towel. It will come out there and look to compete and not be on the first flight home, and that’s exactly what we will do.”

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