India may be the top ranked Test side in the world and have registered nine straight series wins since August 2015. While three of those victories have come abroad, they have done little to help India get rid of the poor travellers tag.
India chief coach Ravi Shastri insists that the Virat Kohli-led outfit wants to be the side that changes perceptions and can start with the tour to South Africa. “It’s often been argued that India are poor travellers. We want to be the team that helped change this perception and this is the year to do it,” Shastri told the Times of India.
India are scheduled to play three Tests, six one-day internationals and three T20 Internationals during the tour that begins with an warm up game in Paarl on December 30 and the team is keen to register their first Test series win on South African soil.
“This team is looking good and they have their priorities in place. They’re hungry to prove themselves at home and away. For two years, barring the tour of Sri Lanka in July and August, we played at home, especially the whole of 2016, and while that was a job well done, these boys understand the importance of the year 2018.
“Frankly, we’re not too hooked on to this ‘home and away’ thing where a lot of chatter goes on about conditions that aren’t too familiar. For instance, once you’ve played a Test match in Kolkata, how long does it take before you play another Test there? Two years? Sometimes three? It’s the same as an overseas tour. So that mindset is quite passe. In this day and age, wherever you go, it’s home. You just got to walk in there and perform,” Shastri added.
How much the Indian team was keen to do well in South Africa was clear from the fact that the team management asked for bouncy tracks against Sri Lanka due to lack of time to prepare for the overseas tour.
However, only the track at Eden Garden would have pleased the team as Nagpur and Delhi did not provide that kind of assistance to the fast bowlers. “We had particularly asked for pitches of a certain kind against Sri Lanka, fast and bouncy tracks. We got an excellent track to play on at the Eden Gardens. Not much could’ve been done in Nagpur because the pitch was ready and Delhi was again slightly in line with what we expected,” Shastri explained, saying the team would have ideally liked to go to South Africa early.
“Look at England. They reached Australia for the Ashes a month in advance. Now that’s a little too early but at the same time a week is a little less. Ideally, we’d have preferred a good 10 to 12 days in South Africa before the start of the Tests. But that’s fine. Going forward, the BCCI has assured us that these things will be looked at differently,” he added.
Rahane’s lack of runs is not a worry
While India would have liked a more emphatic win over Sri Lanka in the Test series, the team management would have been happy with the overall performance of their key players barring vice captain Ajinkya Rahane.
The 29-year-old managed to score only 17 runs in the entire series with a highest score of 10. The team even tried to help find some form by promoting Rahane to number three in the second inning in the Delhi Test but it was clear that the Mumbai batsmen struggled to hit the strides.
However, Shastri insisted that it was not really an area of concern. “Ajinkya has had a poor run but it’s a matter of time before he regains his touch. He’ll be fine. Players also rise to an occasion and Ajinkya has proved himself in tougher times. We’re not too worried on the batting front and that’s because of the variety that’s available.
“For instance, look at Virat’s last two tours of Australia. On the first trip he struggled, and the next time he was there, he batted like a champion. These boys know what it takes to fight off a good challenge,” added the 55-year-old.