“Declare 80-100 runs behind” - Ravi Shastri offers a piece of advice to Team India

Former Indian head coach and commentator Ravi Shastri has suggested that the Indian team, led by Rishabh Pant, declare behind South Africa’s first innings total to take their chances and force a win in the ongoing Guwahati Test.

For the unversed, South Africa went on to score a daunting total of 489 runs before getting all out in 151.1 overs, batting a total of two days. While Senuran Muthusamy was the top scorer, amassing 109 runs in 206 balls, Marco Jansen accumulated 93 runs in 91 balls with six fours and seven sixes.

Speaking exclusively on Star Sports while on commentary on Day 2, Shastri asserted that India shouldn’t wait and go past South Africa’s 489-run total. Instead, he reckoned that Team India should declare 80-100 runs behind to see how it goes from there.

“Tactically, India will have to take a call on Day 3. See how they get through the new ball, and then take the game forward, and force a win in this Test match. They'll have to call the shots, which means you might even want to declare behind. Then try and bowl out the opposition quickly in the second innings,” Ravi Shastri said on Star Sports on Day 2.

“You've got to take those chances. You can't wait to bat and go past 489, that'll take a long time. Might have to even declare 80, 90, 100 runs behind and see how it goes,” he added.

After playing on an uneven surface at the Eden Gardens and suffering a 30-run defeat in the first Test, the Guwahati pitch curator prepared a flat wicket for the ongoing second and final Test of the two-match series.

It would be interesting to watch how Team India would fare on the third and fourth days of the game. As of now, it seems that the game might end in a draw if the surface doesn’t offer spin and bounce on the last two days of the Test.

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