"This is not something where you just put petrol in the backside and then expect the guy to move on in overdrive", outgoing head coach Ravi Shastri in his quintessential style addressed his final press conference after India thrashed Namibia in the T20 World Cup 2021 on Monday.
Also read: India bow out on a high, thrash Namibia by 9 wickets
Too much cricket is what most Team India fans are always complaining about and most cricketers and coaches always downplayed the notion of calling the bunch a set of professionals. But for the first time, the outgoing Team India head coach Ravi Shastri has admitted that the bunch of cricketers who represent the nation are tired both physically and mentally.
"There are a lot of players in this who play all three formats of the game. In the last 24 months, they have been home for 25 days. I don't care who you are, if your name is Don Bradman, if you're in a bubble as well, your average will come down because you're human", Shastri added as he hinted at a fatigue problem while the cricketers live out of bio-bubbles in various nations.
Going by logic, that's not a good sign for the Men in Blue who next host New Zealand in less than 10 days time for a home series.
Post that, the Men in Blue will travel to South Africa for a 2-month long tour before returning to host West Indies at home followed by Sri Lanka, IPL 2022 & then South Africa again in a busy home summer.
Talking about the mental strength of Team India, Shastri had reserved some best words for the cricketers, "In life, it's not what you accomplish, it's what you overcome and that's what this team has done".
As Shastri's tenure as head coach ends, it coincides with Virat Kohli's 50-match long sting as T20 skipper of the Men in Blue but Ravi Shastri reserved his best complement for the last, he said, "This team has overachieved, more than my expectations".