"All this talk of reaching early and acclimatizing is b***t"- Ravi Shastri on India not having enough preparation time for WTC final

Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri rubbished the claims that Team India didn't have enough time to prepare for the World Test Championship (WTC) final. There was a week's time between the IPL 2023 final and the WTC final and many felt that the lack of preparation is what cost India.

However, Shastri claimed that Australia had just as enough time to prepare for the final and that they made great use of it. The former coach feels it is important to make the mental adjustment to changing conditions more than anything else.

Speaking exclusively to The Week, here's what Ravi Shastri had to say about the preparation for the conditions:

"From what I believe, Australia landed in England on the 30th, played golf on the 31st, then had 3-4 days of practice and played the WTC final. That's it. So all this talk of reaching early and acclimatizing is b***t. It's more about understanding what the conditions demand in England and practice towards it."

Shastri also claimed that IPL gave India the talent pool that they so desperately needed and that it shouldn't be questioned for their performances in Tests. He added:

"I don't think IPL is one bit a disturbance. If Indian cricket is where it is today, you should thank the IPL. You have to thank the IPL because it has produced players who went from playing IPL to becoming regulars in Test cricket. It's the goose that lays the golden egg. So never point at the goose. See how more eggs can be laid."

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Ravi Shastri on the importance of prioritizing formats

Ravi Shastri feels the players need to be clear about what their priority is when it comes to IPL and Test cricket. He reckons the instructions should be clear to the franchises in the contracts that the board can withdraw the players from the league when needed.

On this, Ravi Shastri stated:

"You know when the World Test Championship final is being played. So you need to set a priority, whether it is playing for India or be available for your franchise. There have to be clauses when players sign contracts with the franchises that specify that the parent body and the custodians of the sport have the right to withdraw the players when needed for the country. Australia ensured literally none of their fast bowlers played before the World Test Championship final."

It will be interesting to see how this situation is managed by Indian cricket, especially if the WTC final gets no other window in the future.