I don't care who you are, even if you put Don Bradman in a bubble his average will drop: Ravi Shastri

Outgoing India head coach Ravi Shastri said even the legendary Don Bradman's average would have dropped had he been put into a bio-secure bubble during his playing days. The Australian batting legend owns the record for the highest ever batting average in Tests at 99.94 with an impressive 6996 runs in 52 matches including 29 centuries and 13 half-centuries to his name.

Shastri stepped down from the post of Indian cricket team's head coach after the team's final Super 12 clash against Namibia in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2021 on Monday (November 08) as the Men in Blue bowed out from the group stages. Shastri spoke about the bio-bubble fatigue faced by a majority of Indian players, who play all three formats of the game.

The outgoing head coach said the players had been home for only 25 days in the last two years and have been playing in restricted bio-bubbles continuously for the last six months whichhas taken a toll on their mental and physical health. He said the performances are bound to come down when the players are kept in strict bubbles.

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"When you are six months in the bubble, there are lots of players in this team who are all-format players. In the last 24 months, they have been home for 25 days. I do not care who you are, if you`re name is Bradman and you are in a bubble, your average will come down because you are human. It is not something you put petrol in the backside and expect the guy to move on," Shastri said on Monday ahead of his last game in charge of Team India.

"It does not happen that way. These are tough times, in life, it is not what you accomplish, it is what you overcome and this is what this team has shown. They have shown the drive to hang in there. No complaints but sooner or later the bubble will burst, so you have to be careful," he added.

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Shastri was appointed as India's full-time head coach in 2017 before his contract was renewed post the ODI World Cup in 2019. Under his tenure, India registered some memorable series wins at home and away from home, including back-to-back Test series wins in Australia.

In 2018, India won the Asia Cup under Rohit Sharma's captain which remains Shastri's only major trophy as the head coach of the Indian team. However, he would regret failing to inspire the team to a major ICC trophy during his stint.