Ravi Shastri has disclosed the reason behind backing Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara during the England Test series

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has revealed why he backed Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara despite their poor record during the England Test series.

This year, Rahane has 372 runs in 19 Test innings. He has a low average of less than 20. Pujara, on the other hand, has 591 runs in 20 innings at a 31.11 average. Both batsmen have had much stronger seasons in the past, but they have not played many significant innings for Team India recently.

“It is very easy to just get rid of players if they failed in one or two innings. But you should know experience is not sold in the market and it can’t be bought. It is something you earn and unless you have a replacement, double that experience, when it comes to quality, you should not be thinking,” Ravi Shastri replied.

Ravi Shastri also stated that in international situations, it is critical to support the veteran players.

ICC T20 World Cup

In the same interview, Ravi Shastri was questioned why he chose to leave his position as head coach after the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. Everything has its time, according to the former India all-rounder, and being away from his family for such a long time was difficult for him.

“There is a time for everything. We have done it for seven years and in these tough times, you need a break. I was not 45 or 50 anymore. And when you travel non-stop, long time away from home and family, it is hard,” said Ravi Shastri.

“Basically, whatever I wanted to achieve with them, I more than accomplished more than that. So I thought it is the right time to leave and so that the team gets someone new with fresh ideas to take them forward. So it was a conscious decision taken in England itself,” he concluded.

Ravi Shastri has been replaced as India’s head coach by Rahul Dravid. Dravid’s Indian team is off to a strong start, having defeated New Zealand 3-0 in a home T20I series last week.

Read more: Ravi Shastri explains why he chose Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane

Visit also: Rohit Sharma-led Team India successfully managed to white-wash New Zealand in the three-match T20I series

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