New Delhi: India will approach 2018 as the year to shed their ‘poor travellers’ tag, head coach Ravi Shastri said Saturday.
India top the Test rankings having sealed their record-equalling ninth consecutive series, Wednesday, six of which came at home and only one – against West Indies in the Caribbean – outside Asia.
Sterner tests await Virat Kohli’s men next year when they travel South Africa, England and Australia, where conditions will not be as conducive to their spinners as it is at home, and the moving ball will probe their batting technique.
“This team are looking good and they have their priorities in place. They’re hungry to prove themselves home and away,” Shastri was quoted as saying by a section of the media here.
“It’s often been argued that India are poor travellers. We want to be the team that helped change this perception and this is the year to do it. Frankly, we’re not too hooked on to this ‘home and away’ thing, where a lot of chatter goes on about conditions that aren’t too familiar. Bottomline is you have got to perform wherever you play,” India’s former Test cricketer added.
India have named five frontline pacemen in their 17-man squad for the tour to South Africa. While doing so the selectors have handed a maiden call-up to Jasprit Bumrah. Shastri said that Bumrah will play an important role in South Africa.
“Bumrah adds a lot of value to this attack. We have to earn those 20 wickets if we have to make any impact in a Test match and we need all the arsenal possible because it’s going to be quite a testing tour,” the Indian head coach stated.