Home
India head coach Ravi Shastri reflected on India’s unsuccessful T20 World Cup 2021 campaign as his tenure comes to an end. Shastri pointed out that the lack of gap between the second phase of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 and the World Cup would have helped Virat Kohli & Co.
“I am mentally drained but I expect that at my age. These guys are physically and mentally drained, six months in a bubble and we would have ideally liked a bigger gap between the IPL and the World Cup. It's when the big games come and when the pressure hits you - you are not that switched on as you should be,” the 59-year-old told the broadcasters before India’s clash against Namibia.
The 1983 World Cup-winning member also said that the lack of rest days between the two tournaments is not an excuse. He also emphasised on the unavailability of X-factor in the team.
“We take defeat because we are not scared of losing. Because in trying to win, you will lose a game. Here we didn't try to win because that X-factor was missing,’ he added.
Shastri also looked back his journey with the team. At the end of his tenure, the former Indian all-rounder believes that the team is one of the greatest in the history of the game.
“When I took this job, I said in my mind I want to make a difference and I think I have. Sometimes in life, it's not all about what you accomplish, it's what you overcome. And what these guys have overcome over the last five years, the way they have travelled across the globe and performed in every part of the globe in all formats of the game will make this - irrespective of what's happened here - as one of the great teams in the history of the game. I have absolutely no doubt in my mind. It's unfortunate that we are out of this tournament but that takes nothing away from a great side,” he said.
