Former India head coach Ravi Shastri said that he wants the spinners to get assistance from a surface right from the first session of play in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy, starting from Thursday in Nagpur. Under Shastri’s guidance, India have registered a back-to-back series win over Australia Down Under. The Asian giants achieved great heights in Tests cricket during Shastri’s tenure as head coach as apart from a dominant record in home conditions, they won Test matches in Australia, England and South Africa.

India are the current holders of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, having won the last three series against Australia in 2017, 2018-19 and 2020-21, while Australia last won a Test series in India in 2004.

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Shastri feels that the current head coach Rahul Dravid has to think about how can India outclass the Aussies in all four Test matches.

“India should look to win 4-0, we’re playing at home. I’m brutal. I’ve been to two tours of Australia, I know what’s happened. My mindset would be, ‘How can I beat Australia 4-0 if I’m the coach’, which means day one, I want a ball to pitch on leg stump and hit off stump.”

“I want it to rip. If someone asks me what kind of pitch? Expect that. If you lose the toss, expect the ball to turn in the first session of play. That’s what I want, and take it from there,” said Shastri on The ICC Review show on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the former India cricketer suggested that Inda should pick Kuldeep Yadav in the XI for the Nagpur Test to add more variety to the spin attack.

“I’d like to see some magic. I’d like to see some Kuldeep Yadav stuff. If you lose the toss on day one, if it’s a good pitch where it’s not turning, the finger spinner is not getting enough, I want a leg-spinner to be able to rip it. Spin it before probably any other spinner in the game.”

With Ravindra Jadeja fully fit after recovering from knee injury which needed surgery last year, Shastri remarked that the left-arm spin all-rounder comes into the playing eleven for him in place of Axar Patel and form a formidable pair with off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who he called the trump card for India.

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“(Ravindra) Jadeja comes back into the side, it was always going to be between Jadeja or Axar (Patel). You can play both actually, if you want to strengthen your batting. But Ash, for me, is the big card. An in-form (Ravichandran) Ashwin could help India dominate this series.”

“If he is in form, real good form. And I’m not saying just with the ball. In these conditions he can play a massive role with the bat also lower down the order. If he’s on fire, I think India will win this series. Easily.”

Shastri signed off by saying India should play two fast-bowlers in Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami with Jasprit Bumrah still on sidelines.

“From what they have, I would think Mohammed Siraj and Mohammad Shami. Umesh (Yadav) bowled well in Bangladesh, but since these two boys have been playing a lot together, they’re match fit, they’re in form (be it) white ball or red ball, they can play. They can start off.”

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