The Indian cricket team has achieved many great things under the guidance of Ravi Shastri and the leadership of Virat Kohli. They defeated Australia in their own backyard to win the first-ever historic Test series win. They even managed to beat New Zealand in their home conditions too. But one thing that has been alluding them is winning an ICC title.
The team will have a good chance to break the jinx later this year and win the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia. The head coach of the Indian cricket team believes that winning a world title remains an obsession for him and the team and they will do anything to get their hands on the trophy.
Shastri feels that the upcoming white-ball series against New Zealand will be used as a platform to prepare for the T20 World Cup as the conditions in both countries are quite similar at this point in time.
“The toss will be taken out of the equation, we will play well irrespective of conditions, of opponents and in every country of the world. That’s what our aim is and that is what we are chasing. Yes, the World Cup remains an obsession and we will do all (we can) to fulfill that ambition,” Shastri said.
The 1983 World Cup-winning member further stated that the team does not think about the conditions and only talk about it when we see what is in front of our eyes. We do not panic and do not care what has happened in the past.
“We, as a team, don’t think about all that. We address something when we see it. We see facts, we address. We don’t go into the history or the past,” added Ravi Shastri.
Last year, India handed out a humiliating 4-1 series loss to the Kiwis in the ODI format while the Black Caps emerged victorious in the shortest format of the game.
The ODI and T20I squads for the series were announced yesterday and there were a few surprises. Prithvi Shaw has been included in the ODI side while Sanju Samson replaces Shikhar Dhawan in the T20 squad. Dhawan has been ruled out of the series after suffering a shoulder injury during the third ODI against Australia.
Meanwhile, there are reported that Hardik Pandya is still not being considered to be a part of the New Zealand tour.
