Ravi Shastri's key message for India ahead of Test series in Australia
The former coach believes India must target a fast start to the series in Perth to keep their World Test Championship hopes alive.
India legend Ravi Shastri wants his former team to put their recent shock loss to New Zealand at the back of their minds and concentrate on positive memories achieved from previous successes in Australia ahead of the upcoming battle for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Rohit Sharma’s India suffered an unprecedented 3-0 whitewash at the hands of New Zealand - their first Test series loss at home in 12 years - and their place at the top of the ICC World Test Championship standings took a major hit as a result.
But Shastri knows his team is still in the mix to reach next year's World Test Championship Final at Lord's and has urged his former side to stay positive in their quest for a place at next year's one-off Test.
“India will be smarting from that defeat in that series against New Zealand because they were caught unawares,” Shastri told host Sanjana Ganesan on the recent episode of The ICC Review.
“They were a little complacent and they paid the price for it. But having said that, it's a very proud team, this Indian team.”
WATCH: Shastri predicts India's XI for first Test in Perth
Ravi Shastri names his India XI for the Border-Gavaskar series opener | The ICC Review
India will need to win four of their five matches in Australia to ensure a place at the World Test Championship decider next year and the side will be targeting a fast start to the tour in Perth when the first Test commences on November 22.
Historically, India have done well when they are able to make a statement early in an away tour. This showed during their tour of Australia in 2018/19 when they won the opening Test in Australia for the first time, victorious by 31 runs in Adelaide on the back of a magnificent century to Cheteshwar Pujara.
Shastri believes India could get back on track by starting their tour of Australia in a similar vein.
“They would be hurting and they'd like to get back on track ASAP. The best way to bounce back from such a series, is start off another series in a good manner," he noted.
“So the first two Test matches become extremely crucial, going ahead.”
WATCH: Ponting previews Border-Gavaskar Trophy series
Ricky Ponting previews WTC25 series between Australia and India | ICC Review
The 62-year-old went on to advise team management to look at the positive aspects of their game and the things that they did well on previous tours Down Under.
In 2018, under Virat Kohli’s leadership, India secured their first-ever Test series win in Australia. They went on to repeat the feat in 2021, despite missing out on several of their first-choice players in a blockbuster series.
“I think the most important thing will be to ensure that they start off well, they keep the players in a good state of mind. That will be the most important thing for the coach,” Shastri said.
The former coach added that India’s batters could play a role in giving the side an early advantage.
“It's playing on their mind, confidence-wise. You can't go to the negatives. Think about the positives. Think about what you did in Australia last time around and take it ahead from there. Put what happened behind you. These are different conditions. And some of the tracks in Australia when you get in are probably the best to bat," Shastri said.
“So I think it will be totally different, the conditions when they get out there.”