Nobody Can Say We Played An Inferior Australia Side: Coach Ravi Shastri

On Sunday, Mohammad Shami was the pick of the bowlers as he bowled some fiery yorkers to attain three Aussie wickets in the death overs.

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Bengaluru: Post team India's fantastic 7-wicket win against Australia in the final ODI at Bengaluru on Sunday, head coach Ravi Shastri hailed his squad's efforts for clinching the series 2-1, especially coming back from a humiliating 10-wicket defeat in the series opener in Mumbai. "This team, the boys showed great character," Shastri said in a televised interview soon after the match. "Nobody can say we played an inferior Australia side. They got a thrashing in Mumbai, and then won two games, with all the travel, and with Australia winning all three tosses." On Sunday, Mohammad Shami was the pick of the bowlers as he bowled some fiery yorkers to attain three Aussie wickets in the death overs.  Coach Shastri said that the ability of the Indian bowlers to pick wickets in the middle overs went a long way in India winning their last two 50-overs game. "We picked important wickets in the middle overs. If sides are looking to take us apart in the last 10 overs, then we have a lot of variety. The game might be 130 years old, but that (the yorker) is still the best ball in the world," he said. Shastri also hailed the batting effort. India's top three partnerships were all worth over 65 runs with Rohit and Kohli putting up 137 runs between them for the second wicket. "They (the batsmen) realised once they got off to a start, that this Australian attack will always look for wickets. Each of those 11 will always look to get in the door if they get a foot in. Virat and Rohit batted well, and Shreyas will get a lot of confidence from this innings," Shastri said. "The exposure they (youngsters) get against this Australian outfit will stand them in good stead. Their mindset will be entirely different. Young (Navdeep) Saini is quick, and if he gets it right, he'll tickle a few. Really proud of the guys - I thought they were magnificent," he added.