Ahead of the second Test between India and England at Edgbaston, former India head coach Ravi Shastri has shared some valuable advice with The ICC Review. He believes that Shubman Gill’s team must respond strongly after their narrow loss in Leeds. India dominated most parts of the first Test but eventually lost by five wickets on the final day. Shastri said that it’s important for India to strike back immediately.
“The most important thing for India is to throw the counter punch almost immediately. When you lose a Test match like this where you have dominated most of it and then you lose it on the last day with a big chase and full marks to England for keeping their composure and doing that, it will need a lot of character to come to the fore and to bounce back in the series,” Shastri said.
Shastri also spoke about Jasprit Bumrah’s availability for the second Test. While there’s hope that he will play, Shastri admitted that nothing is certain yet. “Now, whether Bumrah plays or doesn’t play, one doesn’t know. But let’s hope he does because this is a very important Test match and all is not lost. It’s just you take it one game at a time. It’s a five-match series and India will be hoping to bounce back,” he added.
Shastri Backs Gill’s Captaincy
Shastri also threw his support behind Shubman Gill, who is leading the team in this series. He believes Gill will have learned from the first game and expects him to be more proactive in Edgbaston.
“People say he was a little reactive and it can happen when you’re playing your first Test match (as captain) and especially in such good batting conditions with a fast outfield and things can happen in that way. But he would have learnt a lot from that and will want to be a little more proactive when it comes now, which means the bowlers and the fielders will have to give him that support. They have got to know what their role is and get out there and execute it,” Shastri said.
For more exciting articles, follow RevSportz.