Former India coach Ravi Shastri has hailed the Indian cricket team, calling it the ambassador of Test cricket. Talking about the future of Test cricket, Shastri believes players of the Indian cricket team are fiercely dedicated towards Test cricket, with its captain Virat Kohli leading from the front.
The fact that India finished five years as the No. 1-ranked Test team is a testament to how seriously its players take the format, Shastri explained, while weighing in on some of the terrific feats the team achieved under his tenure as its head coach.
“I think if any team has been an ambassador for Test match over the last five years, it is this Indian cricket team. Virat worships Test match cricket, as do most of the team, which might surprise the world because of the amount of one-day cricket India plays, then IPL. If you ask anyone in the team, 99 percent of them would say they love Test match cricket. That’s why, what India have done in the last five years – remain as the No. 1 team in the world at the end of every year,” Shastri told renowned author Jeffrey Archer on his podcast.
India became the only team to register consecutive Test series wins in Australia, while leading the tour of England 2-1 earlier this year before it was called off due to Covid-19 scare. Shastri claims India have dominated Test cricket and added that one the biggest positives has been the emergence of the team as a major fast-bowling unit in the world.
“We may have lost the one-off WTC final against New Zealand – but otherwise We have dominated the format for the last five years. To win two series in Australia, to win the series that was taking place in England, to win everywhere around the world – white-ball and red-ball cricket, and to set a benchmark in red-ball cricket, the fast bowlers coming to the fore – unheard of from the Indian cricket team – it was remarkable,” added the former India coach and all-rounder.
“For me the greatest legacy this generation and this lot of players will leave is the way they have played Test cricket and embraced it.”
