'We believe we can be one of the best travelling teams'
India head coach Ravi Shastri talks about his team's chances in England, the injuries to the fast bowlers, and the challenge of getting the openers to build the innings
"Four years down the line, Kohli is the best player in the world. He would like to show the British public why he is the best" • Getty Images
I cannot divulge the details, but the focus of the chat was to carry on the good work we have done overseas. We have done exceptionally well in white-ball cricket. We showed some very good signs in South Africa as far as the red ball is concerned. We want to carry that forward. The challenge for us is to be consistent in the red-ball format overseas. We believe we have the potential to be one of the best travelling teams. At the moment, there is no side in the world that travels properly. You can see what is happening to South Africa in Sri Lanka. We know our scorelines in England before this tour: 4-0 [2011], 3-1 [2014]. We want to do much better than that.
We have a bowling attack that can take 20 wickets. We are not bothered by what conditions we play in. We have the variety but we need to execute our plans in the best possible manner. And bat well, which is important. Our batting let us down in South Africa.
A lot of players have been to England before. A lot of them have learned a lot in the last few years, playing as a unit. I see that as a big advantage, as opposed to coming with a brand new side.
Not really. The square will be different, the outfield will be different, and the weather conditions will be different to back in India. But whatever the conditions, the balls moves in England. In South Africa we played on some spicy tracks. We have to adapt to those 22 yards. We adapted better than South Africa in Johannesburg and we won that Test. They won a couple of sessions more than us in the first two Tests and won two Tests.
Depends on the surface. What I would like to see is whether we have learned from South Africa. A start of 25 or 30 should be converted into a big partnership.
That is a must anywhere you go overseas, especially England, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. The first 20-25 overs are extremely crucial. If you can come through that period [unscathed] then you can set a good platform. Understanding your role, understanding what the team needs in those 20 overs, the discipline needed to see off those 20 overs and make sure you lose as few wickets as possible. Then you set up the game because we have enough ammunition in the middle order and lower order to take the game forward.
Always will.
They have experience. What you want is [that] when they get in, they have got the experience to make it count. If they do that it will be a brilliant platform for the middle order, which, like I said, has the goods to convert that into a good score.
Yesterday morning [the first day of the warm-up match against Essex], if you get those conditions [fresh green pitch, new ball seaming and swinging], I don't care who the opening batsman is - it is tough. On such mornings you need your slice of luck, but you have to be prepared to go through the grind, like M Vijay did in that period of play. You could nick one anytime, but you have to get that mental discipline that, yes, the pitch will ease out after lunch and that will make the job for the other players in the team easier. So my role is that even if I get 20-25 runs, if I have seen the team through that early period to make it easier for someone else, I have done a lot. It is about playing the conditions. It is very important you see the tough period through.
He has been picked as the third opener. But our batting order will always be flexible. The third opener can play anywhere in the top four. We are a very, very flexible outfit. Be prepared for that. We will surprise you guys at times.
He's an extremely experienced player. I feel he is one innings away [from a big score]. He needs to spend time at the crease. If he gets one 60-70 under his belt, he will be a different player altogether. My job is to make sure he is thinking in that fashion.
We have seen once he gets in, he makes it count. He is one player who will really make it count and hold the innings together, so he becomes important.
Pujara is an anchor. He has been one of the pillars of this batting line-up for a long time. You know what he does - he loves batting (smiles). We just want him to do it. Unfortunately, in South Africa he was run out a couple of times [in the same Test in Centurion]. That is something we don't want. We don't want him to be an Usain Bolt, we want him to be Pujara. Stay there at the crease. The last thing you want to do is give your wicket away to a run-out.
You wish well for everyone, but having played and watched the game for so long, I know that you can't have everyone perform [at the same time]. When you have seven to eight players performing game after game, you are on an absolute roll.
It is not a concern for me at all. He has a role to play. He knows his role, because No. 3 is an important role.
You tell me. Look at his record. I don't have to spell out what he has done in the last four years. When you perform in that fashion, you are mentally at a different level as well. You are waiting for whatever test comes your way. Yes, he might have had an ordinary series when he came here four years ago. But four years down the line he is the best player in the world. And he would like to get out there and show the British public why he is the best player in the world.
He knows his game. It is just about re-emphasising certain little things which you see and basically keeping things simple, not creating things that don't exist. That is one thing I believe in my coaching: don't try to fix something that is not broken. If he wants to try something different, we are always around to have a chat.
That happens. Probably in a Test match, his focus would be three times more. He would have been a lot more disappointed if he had got out in that fashion in a Test match because he had hardly put a foot wrong. In that entire innings, when the ball was doing quite a bit, he was beaten just three times. I would rather have him get out here than get out in a Test match in a similar fashion.
You have to try other people out. If Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar had been fully fit in the one-day series, it would have been a different ball game altogether. [If] we had both of them fully fit for the entire Test series, it would have given me selection headaches. There is still enough experience and variety in our bowling attack - whether it is pace, spin, or Hardik [Pandya] filling in as a fast-medium bowler. There are enough options there.
Could be. So can the others. There are five bowlers who can each play a similar part.
His record, his experience is huge. He is world-class and has proven it over a span of time. He is hungry and wants to do well game after the game.
He could be picked at any stage. There is [Ravindra] Jadeja. There is Ashwin. Depending on the surface, we will have to decide whether to go for one or two spinners. That will be our headache. But yes, Kuldeep has arrived. He has already played Test cricket. He had done decently in the ODIs. Kuldeep is also hungry. He is a tough little nut. And with more exposure he will only get better.
Why was it bold? He was getting runs for India A. He is young. It is also time to groom another keeper. He has the flair. He has something unorthodox about him when it comes to his batting. He can be a game changer, so why not give him the opportunity?
Fearless cricket. Trust your instincts. Play your natural game. Results will happen. We will have some fun. We are aggressive. We play to win. Even this series we are playing to win. We are not here to draw games or fill in the numbers. We play every game to win and take the game forward. And if in trying to win we lose a game, tough luck. As long as we win more than we lose, we are happy.
Nagraj Gollapudi is a deputy editor at ESPNcricinfo