NEW DELHI: According to former Team India head coach Ravi Shastri, India's resilience on the final day of the third Test against Australia in Brisbane has been a defining moment in the ongoing series, providing the team with a psychological boost ahead of the Boxing Day Test at the MCG.
Shastri highlighted the importance of India avoiding the follow-on at the Gabba, with the last pair of Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep setting the tone for the next phase of the game.
“You should celebrate,” Ravi Shastri said. “It required a lot of character from the last pair with 35-36 runs needed. That celebration showed, they knew the importance of that effort within the dressing room in the context of the series.”
Shastri drew parallels with India's recent history, recalling the remarkable partnership between Bumrah and Mohammed Shami at Lord's during the 2021 series against England, which turned the game in India's favour.
“It's one thing following on, it's one thing then again being 2-3 down as opposed to, you going ahead and rattling the Australian top-order. It is fully justified,” he added. "It reminded me of the celebration, when in COVID times, when Jasprit and Mohammed Shami were involved in a partnership at Lord’s, which turned the game on its head."
“England were odds on favourites on the final day to win the Test. And that partnership, I think of about 80 or 90, suddenly turned the game on its head and by the end of the day, India had won the Test match,” he added.
He emphasized the significance of the tail-enders' stubbornness and resilience, citing instances like Ravichandran Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari's steadfast batting in Sydney, which has been handy for India in recent times.
According to Shastri, such performances lift the entire team and provide a psychological advantage in high-stakes series. He believes that the fight shown in this Test could prove crucial for India as the series moves forward, with the series now tied at 1-1 ahead of the Boxing Day Test.
“They've been kept in this series single-handedly by Jasprit Bumrah,” Shastri said. “If the big boys wake up, and step up to the plate which I just get the gut feeling they will, then Australia has a problem on their hands."
“Yeah, they got out of jail but they are not on bail. They are free birds in Melbourne. They can do what they want and come and attack Australia on Boxing Day,” he concluded.
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