CHENNAI: Ever since he ended up being in the India dressing room, first as a player, followed by a brief stint as manager-cum-coach and then as team director and head coach, Ravi Shastri has embodied fighting spirit. Over his two stints as coach of the team since 2014, he has perhaps mentioned 'character' more often than 'tracer bullet'.
At times, he may sound hyperbolic, possibly with an intent to make players feel better than they are. While coaches often speak about philosophy, Shastri has seldom shown if he has one. The message has always been on these lines: Keep it simple. Follow the basics. Show character. Put up a fight. Play your natural game.
His teams have shown some of it on challenging tours overseas, although in terms of series wins there is just one. But all of it might fade in comparison with what the team has done in Australia so far. This is Shastri's third trip Down Under as coach and with just 10 more months left of his contract, his boys are doing what the head coach has been speaking of.
Make no mistake, no visiting side with the exception of South Africa, have pushed Australians to the brink on successive tours. And India are doing it this time with a battery of first-choice players missing. Enough has been said about those, but in conditions that can make or break players, it is important to give credit to Shastri and his support staff for ensuring the team is standing tall despite the mess around them.
Last heard, two days ahead of a series decider, several of the players are on sedatives. Ravichandran Ashwin's back injury continues to remain a concern. They still haven't identified their XI, but they are not pressing the panic button yet.
Shastri is often ridiculed with regards to what exactly his role is, especially when India suffer bad days like in Adelaide. While not many players might take the bullet for him, the team knows he is a sort of coach who would take one for them. In fact, after the Adelaide debacle, it was Shastri who took the pressure off the players. As one of them says, "He didn't go overboard. Just said, don't bother about losing your teammates or the result, just play your game. Even if it is 0-4, I will take it."
After Adelaide, this has been a different India. They keep losing one or more of their regulars every Test, but they haven't bowed to the might of Australia. Barring a couple of players, most of them have been living in a bio-secure bubble sans their families, and the support staff have ensured they have stayed in the best possible frame of mind. Each day the task has got difficult, but they have found solutions.
In his six-year stint as team director/head coach Shastri doesn't have any ICC title to show, but has Test wins in England, South Africa, Australia, Sri Lanka, West Indies apart from this series, which is going to be remembered no matter how it goes in Brisbane.
Before the tour, Shastri and the support staff spoke about building a side for the future. Privately, they view this series as one that identifies promising players who will play under a new coaching set-up that will take charge if their contracts are not renewed after the T20 World Cup. Right through the tour, he hasn't made headline-grabbing comments or given excuses. While Shastri has been quiet, his boys have made bold statements.