Grinding It Out for the Sake of Process
The duo of Ravi Shastri and Virat Kohli combined to lead Team India. In their strict appreciation for Test cricket and their single-minded aim to make India the best Test team in the world, both Shastri and Kohli were not bothered by a few defeats as long as they were certain the lessons from the game would help in the overall improvement of the side.
The tour to South Africa and the initial spell from Bhuvneshwar Kumar highlighted what the fast bowlers could achieve.
The series against England in 2018 saw the side constantly come up short in pressure situations but the belief that they were the best Indian Test team never disappeared. The games against Australia at the end of that year were historical but a few chinks remained, the biggest of which was the inability of the tail to contribute in crucial moments.
Ashwin improved his fitness and would often be seen bowling newer variations in domestic games. Axar Patel analysed his weaknesses that…