India endured a disappointing outing in the recently-concluded tour of South Africa as the visitors lost both Test and ODI series against the hosts. India got off to a great start in the three-match Test series with a comprehensive win in the series-opener in Centurion before losing the next two games in a row to concede the series 2-1.
India were deemed favourites against a South African team currently in transition after the retirements of some of the greats like AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis among others. However, India failed to live up to their favourites tag despite making a brilliant start as their dreams of clinching a maiden Test series win in South Africa were left shattered.
India were expected to bounce back strongly in the three-match ODI series. However, South Africa continued their winning run and registered a 3-0 whitewash against the KL Rahul-led side. India’s defeat has led to severe criticism from all corners with many questioning the team’s morale and composition in the aftermath of Virat Kohli leaving captaincy across all formats.
However, former India head coach Ravi Shastri believes the criticism is too far-fetched and that winning and losing is part of the game. Shastri cited how India have dominated in Test cricket over the last 5-6 years and continue to be one of the best Test teams in the world despite not managing to beat the Proteas in their own backyard.
“If you lose one series, you people start criticising. You can’t win every game, there will be wins and losses,” Ravi Shastri told the PTI.
“How can the standard go down suddenly? For five years, you have been the number one side in the world. When you have a win ratio of 65 per cent over the last five years, what is there to worry about? What is there to worry about, our rival teams should worry,” he added.
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India head coach Rahul Dravid had earlier termed the ODI series loss in South Africa an ‘eye opener’ for the team ahead of the ODI World Cup next year. Dravid also lamented the absence of all-rounders like Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja in the squad which would have provided balance to India’s middle-order in the ODI series.
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