Ravi Shastri before his last game as the head coach of team India revealed that the Men in Blue were mentally and physically drained as a result of which they could not perform upto their expectations.
In the pre match conference against Namibia on Monday, outgoing coach Ravi Shastri reiterated what bowling coach Bharat Arun and India’s pacer Jasprit Bumrah regarding the ‘bio-bubble fatigue’ issue. Team India have been in the bio-secure bubble for more than six months now.
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India had a disappointed start to the tournament with back-to-back two losses against Pakistan and New Zealand. The Men in Blue then went on to win their remaining three matches but they needed Afghanistan to beat New Zealand to qualify for the semi-finals. But Mohammad Nabi and co failed to secure the victory. The Men in Blue were knocked out of the WC before even playing their final match against Namibia.
While speaking to Ian Bishop on Star Sports, Ravi Shastri said: “I am mentally drained but I expect that at my age. These guys are physically and mentally drained, six months in a bubble and we would have ideally liked a bigger gap between the IPL and the World Cup,” Ravi Shastri said.
“It’s when the big games come and when the pressure hits you – you are not that switched on as you should be. And it’s not an excuse. We take defeat because we are not scared of losing. Because in trying to win, you will lose a game. Here we didn’t try to win because that X-factor was missing,” he added.
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Shastri said that when he joined his job, he wanted to make a difference and he feels he did.
“Sometimes in life, it’s not what you accomplish, it’s what you overcome. And what this side has overcome over the last five years around the globe in all formats of the game, will make them, irrespective of what has happened here, as one of the greatest teams in the history of the game,” he added.
Ravi Shastri also commented on incoming coach Rahul Dravid and said that he is going to manage a great side and he can only take them one notch higher.
“In Rahul Dravid, they’ve got a guy who has inherited a great team and I think with his experience, he can only raise the bar in time to come. There are still players here who will play for another 3-4 years which is very important. It is not a team in transition and that’ll make the biggest difference, Shastri further said.
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