Ind vs Aus: Quantity for quality, says Ravi Shastri

Agreed Team India director Ravi Shastri, who will suggest to the board to make the touring party larger. “In the last few days we have been through three time zones. And it’s not often you go through that, you play in Perth you get on a flight and reach Brisbane where the time is different. Then to Melbourne where the time is different and all in the matter of six days. Now you consider all that and I think the boys have done extremely well,” he observed.

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The tiredness is perhaps pronounced when losing, but Shastri calls for more members in the squad, especially bowlers, so that they can be rotated and the unit be kept fresh. Moreover, the team can also cope with injury adversities like if a bowler gets injured a few days before the match, like it happened to Mohammed Shami. Ishant Sharma, too, missed the opening match. “When it comes to bowling, what I would suggest in the future to the BCCI is to have some extra players. Instead of the 15 (players) on a tour like this, probably 16 would be advisable. Somewhere close to the subcontinent like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, or the Middle East, 15 is fine. But here, when you travel this far and suddenly you get injuries, I think it is something I will suggest. But at least 7-8 bowlers have to be there all the time,” he opined.

A set of extra bowlers, he believes, would have come in handy. “We need bench strength because this is one of the toughest tours,” Shastri asserted.

Even as recent as the last tour of Australia last year, India had travelled with two extra pacers, Mohit Sharma and Dhawal Kulkarni, as back-ups for Ishant and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who were not fully fit. Ishant later missed the World Cup and was sent back home, giving Mohit a look-in, while Kulkarni travelled with the team throughout.

To keep excuses aside, India will look to bag the remaining games. The bowlers will aim for an improved show so that they could return with a hint of pride restored.