• Source:JND
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India vs South Africa Series: Former coach Ravi Shastri gave his fierce assessment on India's whitewash defeat against South Africa but refused to throw the India head coach Gautam Gambhir under the bus, stressing that "players also need to take some responsibility' for the series sweep too.

Shastri, who oversaw a golden period of Test cricket alongside Virat Kohli as captain, highlighted that the team management and players must take the blame for India's slide in red-ball cricket.

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The home domination, which was orchestrated in the previous years, was demolished as the side suffered whitewashes against New Zealand and South Africa at home.

Shastri expressed his frustration with India's decline in Test cricket, recalling the coach Gautam Gambhir-led side's collapse in the Guwahati Test.

"You tell me. What happened in Guwahati – from 100/1, you skip to 130/7? This team is not that bad either. They have this much talent at least. The players should take some responsibility too. You have played spin since you started playing cricket,” Shastri told Prabhat Khabar in a podcast teaser.

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The hosts of the podcast quickly asked if Shastri was defending Gambhir, but the former coach was blunt in his reply, stating, "I'm not protecting [him]. One hundred per cent he is responsible too. When am I saying anything otherwise?”

“Agar yeh mere saath hota, main pehla responsibility leta (Had this happened with me, I would have been the first one to take responsibility). But then, I wouldn't have spared the players either in the team meeting," the former head coach added.

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