Not an excuse, but would have liked bigger gap between IPL and T20 World Cup 2021: Ravi Shastri
Ravi Shastri said he would have liked a bigger gap between the IPL 2021 and T20 WC.
India head coach Ravi Shastri said he wasmentally drained ahead of his last game in charge of the team. India locked horns with Namibia in their final Super 12 game in the T20 World Cup 2021 on Monday (November 08). The game is all set to be Shastri's last as the head coach of the team as the Men in Blue have already been knocked out of the tournament after two defeats and two wins in their first four matches.
India's fate rested on the shoulders of Afghanistan, who lost their final Super 12 game against New Zealand on Sunday to confirm India's ouster from the tournament. Shastri, who had been appointed as India's full-time head coach in the year 2017, said his players are mentally and physically drained and that the Indian team would have ideally liked a bigger gap between the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 and the T20 World Cup 2021.
The second phase of IPL 2021 concluded on October 15th while India's campaign in the T20 World Cup 2021 began just eight days later with a high-profile clash against Pakistan in Dubai on October 24th. While Shastri insisted a bigger break would have been ideal, he said it was not an excuse from his side and that the Indian team is not scared of losing while trying to win.
"I am mentally drained but I expect that at my age. These guys are physically and mentally drained, six months in a bubble and we would have ideally liked a bigger gap between the IPL and the World Cup," Shastri said ahead of India's game against Namibia on Monday.
"It's when the big games come and when the pressure hits you - you are not that switched on as you should be. And it's not an excuse. We take defeat because we are not scared of losing. Because in trying to win, you will lose a game. Here we didn't try to win because that X-factor was missing," he added.
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India lost their opening game against Pakistan by ten wickets at the T20 World Cup 2021 before going down by eight wickets against New Zealand in their next game to be pushed on the brink of an early elimination. However, the Indian team bounced back with two big wins in a row against Afghanistan and Scotland in their next two games to remain alive in the race for the semi-finals.
On Sunday, India's exit was confirmed after Afghanistan's 8-wicket loss against New Zealand. India will look to finish their campaign with a win against Namibia in their final Super 12 game on Monday.