Ravi Shastri, India’s former head coach, has called for a switch to younger players in the red-ball format following India’s devastating defeat to Australia in the World Test Championship final.
According to Shastri, the team management and selectors must develop a succession plan and take inspiration from the Australian team in order to combine young players with seasoned ones and prepare them for Test matches.
Also read, WTC Final: With Indian middle-order batters past their prime, is it time for transition?
Shastri’s comments on team India and WTC:
India’s 2023–2025 WTC cycle will start on July 12 with a two-match series in the Caribbean. The elderly Test team may be transitioning for the first time during the West Indies tour. “Draw out a plan, have the vision to understand how to restock your squad. That’s what the think-tank and selectors will have to see. Over the years, Australians have gotten very excellent at doing that. They are able to visualise where they wish to go in three years. They don’t wait for five players to suddenly leave the pitch, according to Shastri, speaking to Star Sports.
Australia has benefited from its ability to incorporate young players like Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head, and Cameron Green into the line-up alongside seasoned stars like Steve Smith and David Warner. Shastri believes that the Indian selection committee must make “hard decisions” and prioritize the needs of the team.
Rohit Sharma, the captain of India, too offered his opinion on the matter. He said, following the defeat at The Oval, “Any tournament you play, you start looking at what perhaps you can do moving forward. What we want to do in the future hasn’t actually been given much thought. There will be some discussion about it, and we’ll determine what is necessary and best for the style of cricket we want to play over the next two years. Who are the men we can hire to fill that position? We must discover the solutions to that query.
It is clear by now that the need for young players in the line-up is more than necessary India wants to win in the WTC matches.
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