Shastri thumbs down madness on opening day

CHENNAI: Usually an unflinching supporter of almost everything his players do on the field irrespective of the outcome of those attempts, Ravi Shastri was for once critical of the way Indians batted in the first innings of the opening Test.

Speaking after the win in Adelaide on Monday, the coach said the “aggression shown by the batsmen was more foolish than fearless”. This was in reference to India’s top-order playing rash shots on the first morning of the Test, leaving the team at 86/5. Speaking on TV, Shastri felt they ought to have shown discretion.

Quick to praise the team for fighting back, he said, “There were some rash shots played in the first innings. That was foolish cricket, but they learnt from it. We had lost the first Test in England by 31 runs, lost the first Test in South Africa by 60-70. So this is a very good feeling to come out on top.”

Just a few months ago in England, when the team was getting thrashed in the Test series, Shastri faced a lot of criticism for branding his bunch as “the best to have represented India in the last 15-20 years”.

That statement projected Shastri as a coach who likes saying lofty things to motivate his players, even if the claims can’t be backed up by substance.

But if one expected Shastri to defend the batsmen for what they did in the first innings, considering his history of championing aggressive cricket, he came up with a surprise. It is possibly the first time in his tenure as chief coach that Shastri has openly thumbed down the manner in which his charges go about their job.