Former India head coach Ravi Shastri recalled being laughed at after his famous “best travelling team” remark back in 2018 following the England series loss, but feels that Team India did live up to it by turning the corner in Australia back in 2018/19 series.
During his conversation with Pakistan pace legend Shoaib Akhtar on his YouTube show, Shastri had remembered his comment before saying that India had lost two close overseas series in 2018 - against South Africa 2-1 and in England that summer by 4-1- which he felt was the point when he had truly realised the team's potential in becoming a strong Test side. Both were Virat Kohli's first assignment as Test captain outside Asia.
He further added that from thereon both him and then captain Kohli stressed a lot on fitness, and with the team having a strong pace attack, that Indian side had managed to script a feat that no other team had achieved before - winning a Test series in Australia.
“I think the endeavour was to make this the best travelling team in the world. I said that back in 2017. People started laughing. But indirectly it was a challenge to the boys saying that you can do it, you know, once we had our pace-bowling attack in place. But we got hit by the bullets. We lost a close series in South Africa 2-1. We lost in England as well, 4-1, which could have been 3-2 in our favour with a little bit of luck. But after losing those two series I knew that we are on the way. Now something big will happen. We were strong and fit. Gave a lot of attention to fitness, me and Virat both and it did wonders. And then we turned the corner in Australia. Australia is probably the toughest place in the world to play. They are born to play hard cricket. I knew if we can compete here, and put it across to them, it will be the ultimate.” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“I think the endeavour was to make this the best travelling team in the world. I said that back in 2017. People started laughing. But indirectly it was a challenge to the boys saying that you can do it, you know, once we had our pace-bowling attack in place. But we got hit by the bullets. We lost a close series in South Africa 2-1. We lost in England as well, 4-1, which could have been 3-2 in our favour with a little bit of luck. But after losing those two series I knew that we are on the way. Now something big will happen. We were strong and fit. Gave a lot of attention to fitness, me and Virat both and it did wonders. And then we turned the corner in Australia. Australia is probably the toughest place in the world to play. They are born to play hard cricket. I knew if we can compete here, and put it across to them, it will be the ultimate.” he said.
{{/usCountry}}The 2-1 series win in Australia, with wins in Adelaide and MCG and a draw in Sydney, was India's first ever Test series win Down Under in 141 years of Test history. And India went on to emulate the feat in the 2020/21 tour of Australia, where they had revived from the infamous 36 all-out in Adelaide to beat Tim Paine's side at the Gabba and retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
India then went on to take a 2-1 series lead in England in their tour of 2021, winning at Lord's and at the Oval, before Covid-19 halted the series and postponed the final tie, in Manchester, for September 2022.