"Should celebrate, will lift them in series": Ravi Shastri on India

Denying the criticism from some sections former Team India head coach Ravi Shastri said that the moment the side avoided the followed was worth celebrating and it will lift the Rohit Sharma and Co as they gear up for the fourth Test match against AustraliaDespite being behind staring at a huge loss Indias resilience on the final day of the third Test against Australia in Brisbane proved to be a defining moment in the ongoing series as it provided the team with a psychological boost ahead of the Boxing Day Test at the MCG according to former coach Ravi ShastriAfter conceding 44510 in the first innings thanks to centuries from Steve Smith and Travis Head India was in trouble at 514 however fighting fifties from KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja and a fine 47stand for the last wicket between Akash Deep and Jasprit Bumrah pushed India to 26010 preventing a follow on Australia declared at 897 in their second innings setting India 275 runs to win in two sessions However rain meant that the match ended in a drawRavi Shastri also opened up on the importance of Team India avoiding the followon at the Gabba while having a chat with the host Sanjana Ganesan on the most recent episode of The ICC ReviewYou should celebrate Shastri said as quoted by ICCIt required a lot of character from the last pair with 3536 runs needed That celebration showed they knew the importance of that effort within the dressing room in the context of the series he addedThe effort with the bat from Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep was not only for avoiding the followon but also set the tone for the further phase of the gameAlso ReadAustralian selectors have got this wrong Clarke on Nathan McSweeney axingAs Shastri put it It is one thing following on it is one thing then again being twothree down as opposed to you going ahead and rattling the Australian toporder It is fully justifiedShastri was quick to compare this performance to similar moments in Indias recent history particularly recalling the remarkable 89run partnership between Bumrah and Mohammed Shami at Lords during the 2021 series against EnglandIt reminded me of the celebration when in COVID times when Jasprit and Mohammed Shami were involved in a partnership at Lords which turned the game on its head Shastri saidEngland were odds on favourites on the final day to win the Test And that partnership I think of about 80 or 90 suddenly turned the game on its head and by the end of the day India had won the Test matchFor Shastri Indias recent successes in Test cricket have often been defined by the stubbornness and resilience of the tailendersWhether it is Bumrah and Shamis resilience or the steadfast batting of Ravichandran Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari in Sydney the ability of the lower order to fight it out has been handy for India in recent times he saidWhen the tailenders are stubborn they fight it out there It makes a massive difference It did it on the last tour When Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari batted the whole of the last session to save the game going into the Gabba and then winning the series Shastri addedRavi Shastri feels that such performances help lift the team and provide a psychological advantage in such a series He believes that the fight shown in the third Test could be crucial for India in the series aheadIt will lift the Indian team And for me the series is on a level peg now and India might just be calling the shots he saidWith the series tied at 11 ahead of the Boxing Day Test Shastri emphasised the significance of this moment in the context of the series particularly with Indias challenging road aheadMassive They would give anything for a 11 result Shastri said reflecting on the early stages of the seriesThe first Test is in Perth the second Test is a daynighter in Adelaide and then the third Test in Brisbane Any overseas team willsettle for a 11 score because come Melbourne come Sydney I think India will be powerful he addedHeading into the Melbourne game the confidence of the Indian team is clearly visible Despite being on the back foot in the third Test match Rohit Sharma and Co now find themselves in a strong positionThey have been kept in this series singlehandedly by Jasprit Bumrah Shastri saidIf the big boys wake up and step up to the plate which I just get the gut feeling they will then Australia has a problem on their hands Yeah they got out of jail but they are not on bail They are free birds in Melbourne They can do what they want and come and attack Australia on Boxing Day he concludedWith ANI Inputs