What changes has Ravi Shastri brought in Team India after taking charge as coach?

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India skipper Virat Kohli with coach Ravi Shastri. Image Source: XtraTime

Debasis Sen, Colombo: A buoyant Indian team will look seal the three match test series by winning the second test here at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground starting from Wednesday.  The men in blue are 1-0 ahead in the series following their 304 runs win in the first test at Galle. Virat Kohli and his team will be returning to the same venue where they created history by winning the test series here after 22 years.

The Indian cricketers after taking a much needed break courtesy their win in the first test in 4 days, reached the port city of Colombo today afternoon. The cricketers looked relaxed as they checked in at the Taj Samudra hotel. Captain Kohli along with Coach Ravi Shastri and Hardik Pandya were seen heading for lunch at the Indian restaurant in the hotel. The team will have a regular practice session tomorrow morning at the SSC.

It is unlikely that India will go in for any major change in the winning combination except that KL Rahul is likely to make a comeback into the playing eleven in place of Abhinav Mukund.

Cheteshwar Pujara, who will be playing his 50th test match, will return to the venue where he scored a brilliant innings of 145 runs to lay the platform for a great series win.

The Indian cricketers looked a lot more relaxed ever since Ravi Shastri has taken over the reins of coach from Anil Kumble. And the notable aspect of Ravi’s coaching is the former Team Director has tweaked team’s preparation style. A key implementation on Shastri’s part is how the batsmen are now ever ready to bat in the middle. This has nothing to do with batting order, instead a new practice of warming up before going down to the middle.

It was evident in Galle itself when Shikhar Dhawan and Abhinav Mukund – India’s pairing for the first Test – reached the ground before the rest of the squad. The mandate for them was to get to the nets and start hitting balls just in case India bat first.

As it turned out, Kohli did win the toss and the amply warmed-up Dhawan smashed 190 off 168 balls in the first innings.

By the time the openers went in, Cheteshwar Pujara had completed this routine, while Virat Kohli was in the nets. It is a different approach to the previous regime, of course, and agreeably welcomed in the team as well.

Shastri has also brought forth a certain differentiation in the team’s thinking in the short span of time that he has spent with them thus far. In one of his first conversations with the team, the coach had underlined the ‘importance of enjoying the game before thinking of anything else’.

Apparently, he had asked the players to remember why they had started playing cricket and urged them to ‘exhibit this passion on the field’.

It goes to be seen whether the new approach will reap dividends for Virat Kohli and his team in the second test match as well or not.

Meanwhile the Sri Lankans after suffering a huge defeat in the first test will be buoyed by the return of their captain Dinesh Chandimal who missed the first test due to fever.