'He gives us courage and strength': Vihari, Siraj reveal how Ravi Shastri motivated them after Adelaide debacle
- It was a humiliating moment for the visitors as they were dismissed for one of the lowest scores in Test cricket history. They had also lost their captain Virat Kohli.
It seemed that Team India were down and out after being bowled out for just 36 in the first Test against Australia in Adelaide. It was a humiliating moment for the visitors as they were dismissed for one of the lowest scores in Test cricket history. They had also lost their captain Virat Kohli, who had gone back to India to witness the birth of his first child. But Team India bounced back and humbled the Australian cricket team in their own den.
India managed to win the Test in Melbourne, then drew in Sydney and defeated the Aussies at their Fortress in Brisbane to reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. It was an incredible turnaround by the side as they went from zeros to heroes in a matter of days.
India players Mohammed Siraj and Hanuma Vihari played a huge part during the series. But they lauded the way India head coach Ravi Shastri carried the team and motivated them after the Adelaide debacle.
"Ravi Shastri said that 36 all-out happens only once in cricket, it will never happen again. The team atmosphere was brilliant. I know Arun sir since my domestic days, his role has been very important in my career. He knew what I could do. Ajinkya Rahane trusted me and I stood up to his trust. I enjoyed a lot," Siraj told India Today.
Vihari said that Shastri never let negative thoughts creep into the team and always asked the players to express themselves.
"After the first Test, the way Ravi sir handled the tea... At any point, we didn't feel like we were smashed in 3 days. If you look at the first Test, we dominated the first two days but in one session, we got blown away. But he never made us feel that we lost it very badly," Vihari said.
"He said we dominated the two days, that's a positive in a Test match. That's the positive thinking of the man he is. He gives us courage and strength with the way he talks in the huddle or the team meetings, he is always positive. He always tells us to go and express ourselves, not to think too much about the result and stuff.
"No credit is enough (for Shastri). To have faith in the young side and he always said 'it's Team India going into the ground, no matter how many games you played, whether you played 80 games or whether you're playing your first game. It's always Team India that is going into the ground'.
"That's the pride he carries for the team."
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