The moment when BCCI and ECB mutually decided to postpone the 5th Test at Manchester last year, a lot of fans and some former players smelled something fishy. Of course with the IPL coming in a few days, controversies were bound to happen. The reason that the governing bodies stated for postponing the Test was because of a Covid outbreak in the Indian camp. It infected certain players in the squad and support staff, including Ravi Shastri.
The 60-year-old was the first one to be infected with Covid during that time. It was certain that he would miss the Test from the 10th of September, but slowly, it spread throughout the camp. The match was eventually postponed after India asked the ECB to do so. Interestingly, Shastri, in his recent interview, said that if he would have been in the Indian dressing room, team India would have played that Test and even won it.
“When I had Covid last year, I could have gone into the dressing room in 6-7 days. And I promise you if I had gone to the dressing room in 6-7 days, India would have played that Test match at Old Trafford and won it,” said the World Cup winner in a press conference arranged by Star Sports ahead of Asia Cup.
The match was rescheduled to take place in 2022 at Edgbaston, which the England team won by 7 wickets. With that, England levelled the series, and the trophy was retained.
Nobody works harder and is fitter at his age than Virat, he is a machine: Ravi Shastri
With the Asia Cup knocking on the door, the focus is once again on the run machine, Virat Kohli. He has been inconsistent in 2022 and thus, his spot on the team is also questioned by a certain section of the fans. He took some time off the Indian team and will be making his return in the subcontinental tournament and with that, the pressure will be high on him to deliver.
Ravi Shastri, his former coach in the Indian team backed Virat and said he is hungry to get the runs. Shastri also stated that he is fit and just needs one good inning to turn the tables.
“There has been no Indian cricketer fitter than him, and I say it with experience. Nobody works harder and is fitter at his age than he is. He is a machine; it is just the case of him getting his mind right and being in the right frame of mind to approach games like this. We have often heard that 1-2 innings can make a difference, but with a player like him, it can make a massive difference. The performance will get the mental strength back, the hunger and passion remain undiminished. Let me assure you that he is hungry and passionate,” said Ravi Shastri.
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