BCT 2024-25: First two matches will be extremely crucial for India, says former coach Shastri

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri feels that after suffering a 0-3 whitewash against New Zealand at home, the first two Tests against Australia in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy series will be “extremely crucial” for the visitors.

With the World Test Championship (WTC) final berth on the line, India will need to win four of their five matches in Australia to ensure a place in next year’s summit clash at Lord’s. “India will be smarting from defeat in that series against New Zealand because they were caught unawares,” Shastri said in a recent episode of The ICC Review.

“They were a little complacent and they paid the price for it. But having said that, it’s a very proud team, this Indian team.”

India has historically thrived on away tours when they make a strong early impression. This was evident during their 2018/19 tour of Australia, where they secured their first-ever win in an opening Test on Australian soil. A stellar century from Cheteshwar Pujara helped India clinch a 31-run victory in Adelaide.

Shastri believes India could get back on track by starting their tour of Australia in a similar vein. “They would be hurting and they’d like to get back on track ASAP. The best way to bounce back from such a series is to start another series in a good manner,” he noted. “So the first two Test matches become extremely crucial, going ahead,” he said.

The 62-year-old encouraged the team management to focus on the positive aspects of their performance and draw lessons from what worked well on previous tours of Australia.

In 2018, under Virat Kohli’s captaincy, India achieved their maiden Test series victory in Australia. They replicated the success in 2021 with a memorable series win, despite the absence of several key players.

“I think the most important thing will be to ensure that they start well, they keep the players in a good state of mind. That will be the most important thing for the coach,” Shastri said.

The former coach added that India’s batters could play a role in giving the side an early advantage.

“It’s playing on their mind, confidence-wise. You can’t go to the negatives. Think about the positives. Think about what you did in Australia last time around and take it ahead from there. But what happened behind you? These are different conditions. And some of the tracks in Australia when you get in are probably the best to bat,” Shastri said.

“So I think it will be totally different, the conditions when they get out there.”