Former coach Ravi Shastri commented on India’s celebrations after they avoided a follow-on match in the third Test against Australia at the Gabba Stadium in Brisbane. Shastri believes India’s resilience on the final day of the third Test was a defining moment in the ongoing series and it gave the visitors a psychological boost ahead of the Boxing Day Test at the MCG.
Needing 36 runs to avoid the follow-on overs, Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep formed a crucial partnership for the last wicket. When the duo finally helped India overtake their followers, the dressing room erupted in celebrations, with skipper Rohit Sharma, head coach Gautam Gambhir and talisman Virat Kohli high-fiving each other.
Former India coach Ravi Shastri believes the visitors have every right to celebrate passing the follow-on match in Brisbane and can build on their efforts when the Test series against Australia heads to Melbourne.
Shastri, while talking to host Sanjana Ganesan on the latest episode of ICC Review, reflected on the importance of the Indian team avoiding the aftermath of the incident at the Gabba.
“You should celebrate. It required a lot of character from the last pair, 35-36 runs. That celebration showed that they knew the importance of hard work in the dressing room in the context of the series,” Shastri Said in ICC Review.
“It’s one thing to go down 2-3, it’s one thing to go ahead and disrupt Australia’s top order. It’s totally reasonable,” he added.
The 62-year-old compared the performance to similar moments in India’s recent history, specifically recalling the 2021 series against England where Bumrah and Mohammed Shami A great partnership at Lord’s for 89 games.
“It reminds me of the celebrations during the Covid era when Jasprit and Mohammad Shami teamed up at Lord’s and it turned the game around,” Shastri said.
“England were huge odds-on favorites to win the Test on the last day. And that partnership, I think it was about 80 or 90, suddenly turned the game around and by the end of the day, India won the Test,” he added.
For Shastri, India’s recent success in Test cricket has often been defined by the tenacity and resilience of the tail-enders.
Be it the resilience of Bumrah and Shami or the determined batting ability of Sydney Ravichandran Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari, the fighting ability of the lower order teams will be crucial for India.
“When the tailenders are stubborn, they fight hard there. It makes a huge difference. We did that in the last tour. When Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari batted in the last over, Save the game, go into the Gabba and win the series,” the former coach said.
“This will improve the quality of the Indian team. For me, the series is level now and the Indian team may just call the shots,” he added.
With the series tied at 1-1 ahead of the Boxing Day Test, Shastri highlighted the importance of the moment in the context of the series, especially given the challenging road ahead for India.
“It was huge. They would have given anything to get a 1-1 result. The first Test was in Perth, the second Test was in Adelaide and the third Test was in Brisbane. You know, Any overseas team will be satisfied with a 1-1 scoreline because come to Melbourne, come to Sydney, I think India will be strong,” he said.
Shastri said India now find themselves in a strong position ahead of the fourth Test.
“They are Jasprit Bumrah who has single-handedly kept them in this series. If the big boys wake up and stand up, which my gut feeling is they will, then Australia There’s going to be trouble,” he said. explain.
“Yes, they are out of jail but without bail. They are free birds in Melbourne. They can do what they want and come and attack Australia on Boxing Day,” Shastri concluded.