Ravi bhai is an extremely important part of the setup, but credit to the boys for not getting distracted: Vikram Rathour

India's batting coach Vikram Rathour addressed the absence of head coach Ravi Shastri after the fourth day of play between England and India at the Oval. Ravi Shastri is likely to miss the rest of the series after testing positive for COVID-19 before play started on day four.

The tourists' medical team took swift action and fortunately the players weren't in close contact. The Indian team also had a productive day and remain in a position to win the Test on day five. Vikram Rathour admitted that they missed Shastri.

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Speaking at a virtual press conference, Vikram Rathour lauded Ravi Shastri for playing a significant role in India's performance improvement. Rathour stated they had to accept the circumstances and concentrate on what was critical.

"Of course, we are missing him massively. Ravi bhai is an extremely important part of the setup. India have done well in the 5-6 years and Ravi has played a major role in the team doing well. But this is what it is, he's not here. It is a bit of a distraction. We had a word with him and he decided we need to focus on what it is at hand, which is cricket."

Rathour observed that day four was crucial for India and admired their players for responding well to it. The 52-year old credited them for not getting distracted despite having a reason to.

"We are here for the series and it's an extremely important one and today was an important day for us. So, we did extremely well not to get distracted because there was a potential for us to get distracted because of what happened last night. A lot of credit goes to the boys for the way they handled themselves and played as a team."

India built on their overnight score of 270-3 and eventually ended with 466. Shardul Thakur and Rishabh Pant exhausted England's bowling unit by adding more than 100 runs together. The hosts need 368 runs in the final innings to win the game.

Ravi Shastri experienced discomfort last night: Vikram Rathour

Ravi Shastri and Vikram Rathour. (Credits: Twitter)

Vikram Rathour disclosed that the discomfort felt by Ravi Shastri prompted the medical team last night to go for a test. Rathur said the necessary precautions were taken by the medical team with regards to others.

"I don't know the exact time, but it was last night, around eight in the night. He was having a little bit of discomfort yesterday, so the medical team decided to go for a test and it came positive. That is when we found out. Close contacts were identified and isolated so, we will wait for the medical team for further instructions."

Meanwhile, England's openers have also responded to the run-chase in style, adding an unbroken 77 between them. Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed overcame some jitters to stand firm and keep England in contention. They will require a further 290 to win the match on the final day.