“Never going to happen” - Ravi Shastri reckons IPL commitments won’t allow players additional practice time before WTC-like events
Following India’s defeat in the World Test Championship (WTC) final, former head coach Ravi Shastri stated that players getting 20 days’ preparation time for a big event don’t look like a realistic possibility. He added that the onus is on the cricketers as they will have to skip the Indian Premier League (IPL) to get extra practice days.
After India’s 209-run loss to Australia in the WTC final, captain Rohit Sharma opined that 20-25 days of preparation time is needed for a big game like a World Test Championship final. Most of the Indian players were part of IPL 2023 and reached England around seven to 10 days before the start of the WTC final.
Sharing his views on the topic, Shastri told Star Sports that the thought sounds impractical.
"That's never going to happen. Let's be realistic. You're going to get 20 days, but if that's the case, you got to miss the IPL. The choice is yours (players),” he explained.
The former all-rounder, however, added that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and IPL franchises might have to sit together and work a way out for the future.
"It's up to the establishment as well. I'm sure the BCCI is going to review this in the future. If the WTC Final is going to come after the IPL, in the month of June, for that season, if your team qualifies for the final, there should be certain clauses put in for the franchises,” Shastri added.
Apart from skipper Rohit, head coach Rahul Dravid also agreed that arriving in England a couple of weeks earlier and playing some side games would have been better preparation for India ahead of the WTC final.
“Winning ICC trophies is not that easy, Dhoni made it look easy” - Ravi Shastri
Opening up on India’s inability to win an ICC trophy since 2013, Shastri praised former skipper MS Dhoni, saying it’s not easy to win big events.
“Winning ICC trophies is not that easy. Mahendra Singh Dhoni made it look easy,” he said.
Dhoni was the skipper when India won an ICC event for the last time - the Champions Trophy in 2013.
Earlier, Shastri had also criticized India’s shot selection in the WTC final. Taking a dig at the batters, he said:
"What's amazed me though is the way that the pitch has behaved. Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara will be kicking themselves for playing the shots that they played. They were poor shots when they were batting beautifully.”
Rohit was dismissed for 43, attempting a lap sweep against Nathan Lyon, while Pujara (27) edged an attempted upper cut off Pat Cummins. On Day 5, Virat Kohli (49) and Ajinkya Rahane (46) also perished looking to play aggressive strokes.