Unforgiving Ravi Shastri Finds Reason Behind Gautam Gambhir's India Getting Thrashed By South Africa
India are being made to work very hard in the home series against South Africa. After the Test side lost 2-0, India were left stunned in the second ODI despite scoring 358/5 in the first innings
- India lost the Test series to South Africa at home and are now 1-1 in the ODIs with one match to go
- South Africa levelled the ODI series by chasing a 359-run target against India in the second match
- "We lost to Team South Africa and not to 1 player. Hum kaha khela (Did we play as a team)? Ravi Shastri asked
India are being made to work very hard in the home series against South Africa. After the Test side lost 2-0, India were left stunned in the second ODI despite scoring 358/5 in the first innings in Raipur on Wednesday. South Africa completed the chase in 49.2 overs to level the three-match series 1-1. India now run the risk of losing the ODI series as well. The final match of the series is scheduled for Saturday in Visakhapatnam. Amidst this, Ravi Shastri made some important observations. "We lost to Team South Africa and not to one player. They played as a team. Hum kaha khela (when did we play as a team)?" Shastri said in a teaser of a podcast by Prabhat Khabar.
Before the ODI series, India lost the first Test to South Africa in Kolkata after failing to chase a 124-run target. In the second Test in Guwahati, India lost by 408 runs - the biggest margin of defeat for the team.
Highlighting India's batting order collapse against South Africa in Guwahati, Shastri said that the team isn't as bad as the Proteas made them look. The players' struggles against spin completely baffled Shastri, as the same batters have been playing spin bowling in home conditions since the start of their careers.
"You tell me. What happened in Guwahati - from 100/1, you slip to 130/7 - this team is not that bad either. The team is not that bad; they have enough talent. Therefore, this is where the responsibility must also be taken by the players. You have played spin since childhood," Shastri said.
When asked if he was protecting India head coach Gautam Gambhir, Shastri denied it. "I'm not protecting [him]. 100 per cent (he is responsible too). If this had happened when I was the coach, I would have taken the first responsibility; I, the coach, would have taken it. But I would not have spared the players inside the team meeting," he said.
Gautam Gambhir
India Cricket Team
South Africa Cricket Team