Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 13 : Former Team India head coach and all-rounder Ravi Shastri recalled his memories with Virat Kohli-led Team India in Test cricket, especially their performances during the tours to Australia and England during his tenure.
Shastri spoke as quoted by a press release from Sony LIV, the official broadcasters of India's tour to England, starting from June 20 onwards at Leeds. This series marks the start of India's ICC World Test Championship (WTC) cycle and a new-era under skipper Shubman Gill following retirement of star batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from Tests and all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin from all international cricket.
With the much-anticipated India tour of England around the corner, Sony Sports Network brings fans a timely and emotional reminder of the last time the Men in Blue made headlines on English soil. The network announced the launch of "Bharat Tum Chale Chalo - Kahani 2021-22 Ki" - a compelling three-part docuseries that revisits Team India's incredible 2021-22 Test campaign in England, which saw India lead the series 2-1 under Virat's captaincy before COVID-19 led to postponement of the fifth and final Test to July 2022 and by then, Virat had stepped down as India's Test captain. India lost the final Test under Jasprit Bumrah's captaincy to draw the series 2-2.
The first episode of the three-episode series premieres on Sunday, June 15 at Sony Sports Ten 1, Sony Sports Ten 3, Sony Sports Ten 4, Sony Sports Ten 5 channels and will also be available to stream on Sony LIV.
Speaking about the Test team in his tenure, which registered some landmark wins in England, Australia and South Africa, including two successive series wins in Australia under leadership of Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane, Shastri said, "That team had guts, fire, and the belief that they could conquer anything, anywhere. Whether it was breaching Fortress Gabba or unleashing '60 overs of hell' at Lord's, they did not just play cricket, they made a statement. This series captures what went on behind the scenes: the hunger, the preparation, and the emotional highs and lows. It is a story every Indian cricket fan should relive because that was not just a team, it was a movement."
During India's fine run in Test cricket from 2014-2022 under Virat as captain, they won 40 out of 68 Tests he led in, making him one of India's most successful Test skipper. When he left the Border-Gavaskar Trophy tour to Australia in late-2020 due to birth of his first child, it was Rahane who stepped in as skipper, leading an inexperienced, injury-ridden Team India to a series win against Australia by 2-1, which included a very special win at The Gabba in Brisbane, where Aussies had not lost a Test in over 32 years.
In the series against England from August to September 2021, of which the first four Tests were played under Virat's captaincy, during the second Lord's Test, Virat had uttered the words in a huddle talk before the defence of 272 runs, saying "For 60 overs, they should feel hell out there". India indeed accepted their captain's word, bundling out England for just 120 runs to win the Test.
India's unbeaten run continued at home under skipper Rohit Sharma, but came crashing down last year when New Zealand handed them their first-ever whitewash loss at home. A further 1-3 loss to Aussies away from home eliminated India from the WTC final race.
Under the captaincy of skipper Shubman Gill and coach Gautam Gambhir, India will be aiming to start afresh.
The series will be held from June to August 2025, with matches scheduled at Headingley in Leeds, Edgbaston in Birmingham, Lord's and The Oval in London, and Old Trafford in Manchester.
India's Test squad for England series: Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.