Team India’s loss in the WTC Final 2023 to Australia, at the Oval, where Rohit Sharma’s side went down by 209 runs, extended India’s decade-long wait for an ICC trophy at the senior men’s level.
As has been the case with the ICC knockout losses in recent years, once again, the critics of the Indian Premier League and those questioning the Indian Premier League’s benefits sprouted and targeted the Indian team and the BCCI.
The Indian Premier League has provided great benefits of giving an opportunity for youngsters to showcase their talents and skills to the world, to compete with the best players in the world, and get better at handling the pressure of playing in front of huge crowds. However, there have always been a section of people who have criticized and thrown mud at the Indian Premier League.
I don’t think IPL is one bit of a disturbance: Ravi Shastri
Now, former India head coach Ravi Shastri has come out and openly lashed out at the critics of the Indian Premier League. Speaking first about the WTC Final, Shastri commended the Australian players for adjusting to the English conditions better than the Indian players did.
“From what I believe, Australia landed in England on the 30th, played golf on the 31st, then had 3-4 days of practice and played the WTC final. That’s it. So all this talk of reaching early and acclimatizing is b***t. It’s more about understanding what the conditions demand in England and practice towards it,” Shastri said.
He added, “I don’t think IPL is one bit of a disturbance. If Indian cricket is where it is today, you should thank the IPL. You have to thank the IPL because it has produced players who went from playing IPL to becoming regulars in Test cricket. It’s the goose that lays the golden egg. So never point at the goose. See how more eggs can be laid.”
Team India’s next assignment is the all-format tour of West Indies. India will kick-start their World Test Championship 2023/25 cycle with 2 Tests in West Indies.
