Ravi Shastri, on the latest episode of The ICC Podcast Review, spoke about KL Rahul's form and insisted that since he is no longer the vice captain of the side, the team management should be free to decide whether to play him or not. He also spoke about how he never believed in appointng a vice captain for India.
"The team management will decide the vice-captain. They know his Rahul's form and mental state. They know how they should be watching someone like Shubman Gill. I never believed in appointing a vice-captain for India. I would rather go with by best XI," Shastri said
Talking further about Rahul, Ravi said that since he no longer is the vice captain, it is up to the management to play or not. "If the vice-captain isn't performing, someone can take his place. Now that Rahul is not the vice-captain, it has to be team management's decision whether to play him or not. They will have to see his form, his state of mind. He's a tremendous player, but there's so much talent in India who is knocking on the door.".
Where Did The Kangaroos Go Wrong?
Ravi also said that more than anything else, it was Australia's lack of belief in their own defence that led to their downfall in the first two Tests. "I think application (has let them down) more than anything else. The lack of belief in their own defence. The lack of application and the lack of discipline was unreal and Australia paid for it big time," Shastri said.
India won both Tests and are now leading the series 2-0 and have retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Shastri further said that the Aussies need to go back to the basics and just try to spend some time at the crease.
Back To Basics
"It's very important to go back to the basics, go back to the drawing board. If you don't trust your defence, you have no chance because that's when you entertain thoughts of breaking free, much quicker than you normally should. Sometimes you've got to spend some time at the crease, but how are you going to spend some time at the crease if you don't trust your defence?" he said.
No Australian batter, specially during the 2nd innings in Delhi looked to apply themselves. Almost all of them got out to shots they normally wouldn't have played.
"But I didn't see one Australian batsman (do that). What surprised me was some of their most senior players also came out there and looked to do things out of the ordinary, something they're not used to far quicker than later. And especially in conditions that suit the Indians. So I think it's patience, it's application, it's discipline and trusting your defence," he added.
In all probability, it is going to be India vs Australia in England in the World Test Championship final and Shastri knows that the scales won't be in India's favour as they currently are in home conditions.
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WTC Final - A Different Ball Game?
"A 4-0 win here psychologically does send a strong signal to the opposition. There will be an impact, but conditions are different as Australia will have their fast bowlers back as a lot of them are injured. But that psychological dent will make India believe that, even in those conditions, they're good enough to upstage Australia," he concluded.
The 3rd Test is schduled to start on March 1, and will be player at Holkar Stadium, Indore.
