'It's the quality of players': Shastri reveals key behind India's performance

Former Indian coach Ravi Shastri believes having the right blend of youth and experience has been pivotal in helping his side maintain their stranglehold at the top of the ICC Mens Team RankingsIndia recently pipped Australia to become the No1 ranked Test nation ahead of next months ICC World Test Championship final and Rohit Sharmas side also hold a healthy lead at the top of the T20I rankingsShastri was asked about the rankings on the latest episode of The ICC Review and the India great paid tribute to the recent consistency his former side have found under the captaincy of Rohit and head coach Rahul DravidIts a tribute to their consistency their fitness and the way theyve worked over the last five or six years to now be hungry and proud of wanting to belong there Shastri said as quoted by ICCAlso Read WTC Final Hussey picks Kohli Rohit as key batters for IndiaIts the quality of players If you look at these players a lot of these players are at their prime when you look at the Indian Test side Theyre experienced theyre at that age where theyre battlehardened theyve travelled around the world They know what Test cricket is all about they know what oneday cricket is all about they know what T20 cricket is all about And the mix is with experienced players and youth Theres youth filtering in especially in the whiteball formats of the game But as a nucleus in Test match cricket theres tons of experience So thats what makes the difference he addedWhen you have that youll see sides that make it to the top twothree as history will tell you they remain there for threefour years Shastri saidShastri said he kept a close eye on the ICC rankings during his tenure as coach and was proud of the fact he helped India rise to the top of the Test charts during his time in the top jobIt mattered a lot to me Shastri revealedTo be in that top two or three was extremely important and you looked at the rankings and if you knew you were four or five then that upsets you because your team deserves to be in the top two or three or thats what you strive or play forEvery coach no matter who he is wants his team to be in that top two or threeit was my endeavour when I took over as coach of Indiato bring it into that top two or threeIt was a desire to get it into the ICC rankings into the top two or three And as a coach Im proud that my team was number one for five years on the ICC rankings No one can take that away Its important and coaches do keep a fair track of thatIndia currently hold a fivepoint lead at the top of the Test rankings with 121 rating points with their World Test Championship final rivals Australia their closest challenger on 116 rating pointsShastri does not expect India to be motivated by the lure of maintaining their hold on the top Test ranking during the World Test Championship final and says it will be the team that adjusts better to the conditions that will come away as winners at The OvalI think when it comes to a oneoff final I think its about how good you are over those five days Shastri notedHow well you start off is extremely important as you dont want to be in a oneoff match and be blown over during the first day and a half Either get hammered in the field or you get an opportunity to bat and youre bowled out by tea time or bowled out on day one You dont want that to happenBut if you get into the contest where you have a good first day then theres nothing I mean all this one and two and three in rankings wont count at all Itll be day by day session by session that will matterThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever