Ravichandran Ashwin has revealed how former head coach Ravi Shastri tried to revive the Indian camp’s mood following their humiliating Adelaide loss in 2021. India’s tour of Australia three years ago still holds a special place in the hearts of cricket fans in the country. In that series, the Ajinkya Rahane-led side showcased indomitable spirit to pull off an unbelievable comeback to win the four-match affair 2-1. Years after the historic win, Ashwin has revealed that Shastri had played an immense role in that victory.
Speaking to journalist Vimal Kumar on YouTube, the veteran spinner said, “We weren’t thinking of a series win at all, because the whole team atmosphere was down. But in the evening, Ravi bhai organised a team dinner, and he sang as well."
Talking about how Ravi Shastri got the entire team involved in a Karaoke evening after the defeat in Adelaide, Ravichandran Ashwin said, “He [Ravi Shastri] switched on the karaoke and started singing. Slowly, others followed too."
The veteran spinner then added how they didn’t focus on getting a victory but achieving smaller targets. “Virat was leaving the team. So, our intention was to be positive, go to Melbourne and win. We didn’t think of series, we kept small targets, we took each match individually after that," Ashwin concluded.
The 2021 India versus Australia Test series began with Virat Kohli leading the side in the opening Test at the Adelaide Oval. They enjoyed a good start, racking up 244 runs in the first innings before the Aussies added 191. However, everything fell apart in the second innings, after Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood combined for nine wickets to curb India at 36. The hosts eventually won the match by eight wickets.
Despite the humiliating defeat, India didn’t lose hope. Ravi Shastri’s karaoke evening seemingly did wonders as the visitors fought back with an eight-wicket victory in Melbourne. With Ajinkya Rahane leading the team in Virat Kohli’s absence, India drew their third match before pulling off a historic three-wicket victory at the Brisbane Cricket Ground in the 4th Test.
\Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill put up crucial knocks to seal a narrow victory. Gill provided the team with some early control after scoring 91 runs. He racked up eight boundaries and two sixes before being dismissed by Nathan Lyon. Pant stepped up for India towards the end, scoring an unbeaten 89 for a massive triumph on away soil.
Ravi Shastri’s effort certainly played a pivotal role in restoring the belief within the squad. The coach retired from coaching the same year in November before joining the Legends League Cricket as the commissioner.
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