Team India coach Ravi Shastri was beaming with pride after India completed a famous victory at the Adelaide Oval on Monday. In the first Test of the four-match series, India defeated Australia by 31 runs to take a 1-0 series lead.
Shastri said that he was extremely happy after winning a tough Test match with his team showing discipline and patience.
“We lost the first Test in England by 31, lost the first Test in South Africa by 60-70, so this is a very good feeling for the boys to come out on top,” Shastri said. “When you get off to a good start, there’s belief. It was a tough Test match. The boys showed discipline and patience.”
This is the first time India have won the opening Test match of a series in Australia since first touring the country in 1947-48.
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Chasing a target of 323, Australia were bowled out for 291 with all Indian bowlers chipping in with wickets. Shastri acknowledged the hard work of the bowlers and said that they will have to rest a lot before the second Test in Perth.
“They (bowlers) will have to rest and recuperate — to hell with the nets. We know Perth will be quick. It is a drop-in pitch, new surface and there’ll be something there for the fast bowlers. I thought the bowlers were brilliant in the first innings, defending 250, the discipline was magnificent,” he said.
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The Indian coach also defending wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant for his shot selection and batting but added that he has to be smarter on the field.
“You have to allow him to play his game, that’s the way he has come into the side, but he has to be a little more sensible now. He did the hard work in getting Lyon to spread his fields, so he has to be smarter. You make a mistake now, but don’t repeat it, then I’ll be in his ears,” he said.
But it was for his closing remarks that Shastri caught the attention on social media. He was referring to the nervous final moments inside the dressing room and told Sunil Gavaskar the team’s b***s were in their mouths, in Hindi.
“We knew we won’t leave it, but for sometime we had our g*** in our mouths,” he said on air.
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