Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri said the players should take responsibility after the 0-2 Test series whitewash against South Africa. India suffered a 0-2 whitewash against the Proteas after losing the second Test match at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati, by a mammoth margin of 408 runs on Wednesday. The hosts lost the opening Test at Eden Gardens, Kolkata by 30 runs.
Earlier in 2024, India were also beaten 0-3 against New Zealand, which had hampered their World Test Championship final qualification.
Meanwhile, India could not come up with a collective batting performance in the Test series against the Proteas, going past the 200-run mark only once in the four innings.
Ravi Shastri said in a YouTube podcast with Prabhat Khabar, “So when results come, one thing the public should remember is that players should also take responsibility. It should not be that you target one individual. It has happened to me, that is why I am speaking from experience. So it is not that the players also don’t get the rap on the knuckles when something like this happens. There should be pride. They should feel hurt that we have lost. Until that happens, things will not move forward.”
“Everyone, right from the team management to the players, you can’t single out one person. It’s a collective decision. South Africa defeated India; no single player defeated India. South Africa played well as a team. Where did we play?” he added.
The former Indian all-rounder said players should feel hurt after a disappointing series loss against South Africa.
“Players should feel hurt. They should take pride in their performance and raise their hand to say that yes, I made this mistake. Admitting a mistake is very important rather than going in circles giving excuses. You have to do that because it will only make you a better human being. It will make you realise, it will make you a better player. Next time around, you might think, ‘What could I have done?’ That is the first question. Not ‘I played like this,’ but ‘What could I have done differently? What could have been another way to avoid it? Maybe sweep, maybe play some other shots. Practice it, prepare.”
After the disappointing Test series, India were able to win the three-match ODI series by 2-1.
