India vs England 5th Test: Wins Were Against Sri Lanka, Sunil Gavaskar Reminds Head Coach Ravi Shastri

India vs England: Shastri, who has been under the criticism following India's 1-3 loss in the ongoing Test series against England, on Wednesday said, “I can’t see any other Indian team in the last 15-20 years that has had the same run in such a short time, and you have had some great players playing in those series."

Former skipper Sunil Gavaskar has reminded current India coach Ravi Shastri—who claimed that his side has a better overseas record than teams of the last 15-20 years—that most of the wins in the recent years have come in Sri Lanka and not in England or South Africa.

“In Sri Lanka, not too many Indian captains and teams have won. West Indies, England and South Africa, previous teams have won matches in the last 15-20 years. I think this was his [Ravi Shastri] view and perhaps only he can speak about it. What I can say is teams in 1980s have won in England and West Indies,” Gavaskar said while speaking with India Today on Thursday.

Shastri, who has been under the criticism following India’s 1-3 loss in the ongoing Test series against England, on Wednesday said, “I can’t see any other Indian team in the last 15-20 years that has had the same run in such a short time, and you have had some great players playing in those series.”

“So the promise is there, and it’s just about getting tougher mentally. You have got to hurt when you lose matches because that’s when you look within and come out with the right kind of answers to combat such situations and get past the finishing line. One day you will if you believe,” he said while addressing the media.

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The last time India won a Test series in England was in 2007, under Rahul Dravid’s captaincy.

Gavaskar, once a teammate and captain of Shastri, said, “What I can say is that teams in 1980s have won in England and West Indies. Rahul Dravid also won series in West Indies in 2005, in England in 2007 and captained when India beat South Africa for the first time (in South Africa).

“Dravid gets very little credit for his leadership and his team’s wins. There have been teams who have won overseas.”

England took an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-Test series after defeating India by 60 runs in Southampton. However, the final match beginning Friday at The Oval will provide Virat Kohli to end what has been quite a long tour on a high. A scoreline of 2-3 will definitely look much better than 1-4 and the visitors will be desperately hoping to win.

(With PTI inputs)