Shastri wants to build on youth during Team India's transition
Indian cricket team head coach Ravi Shastri has stated that he wants to invest in youngsters to develop solid bench strength. Shastri, who is in his second stint as head coach, views the season as a transitional phase in Indian cricket. India got off to a strong start post the 2019 World Cup. Here's more on the same.
Following India's exit from the semi-final of the ICC World Cup 2019, Shastri guided the team in West Indies. The Virat Kohli-led Team India won all three series to get off to a perfect start. India's next assignment is against South Africa. They are involved in three T20Is and three Test matches respectively. The focus for Shastri is to build up India's younger talent.
"The vision is to keep the consistency level going," Shastri said to ICC. "It will be a team in transition, and one has to keep an eye out for the youth and also keep an eye on developing the bench strength across all three formats. We should, at the same time, be never losing sight of the fact that you play to win."
Shastri is keen on giving young players a chance in order to build a strong base for the future. This is despite having the risk of losing matches at times. "You might get the odd game or the odd series in which you might lose in the quest of investing, but that is what you have to do to earn success," he said.
India are ranked number one in Tests and the idea will be to do well in this format. With the ICC World Test Championship underway, the battle for Kohli & Co. is to win as many matches possible to have a chance of playing in the final in 2021. Shastri analyzed that India should play well with points at stake.
"We are playing at home [against South Africa], and it is the World Test Championship, so now there is even more reason why you have to play the way you should. There are now points to be accumulated," said Shastri. "So we want to keep that consistency going and ensuring that we are placed nicely in the table for a place in the final."
Team India has been giving chances to youngsters such as Khaleel Ahmed, Rahul Chahar, Shreyas Iyer in the limited-overs. Someone like a Rishabh Pant is being backed across formats. In Tests, Prithvi Shaw has got his chances. Shubman Gill is another promising player in the ranks as well. Therefore, the idea will be to have them gaining maximum exposure alongside the seniors.
