“We won so much, people weren't used to us losing,” Ravi Shastri describes criticism of Team India

India were the firm favourites to win the T20 World Cup being played in the UAE as they were deemed a well-rounded team covering all the bases. But, it turned out, they could not produce performances in the big games against New Zealand and Pakistan and were knocked out of the tournament before making it into the knockout stage.

It was also a critical tournament for the team management with all of the skipper Virat Kohli, head coach Ravi Shastri, bowling coach Bharat Arun and fielding coach R Sridhar being in their roles for the last time. Coaches’ tenures were to end after the world cup and Kohli had announced he would relinquish captaincy from the format.

Now, having left the Indian team as the coach, Ravi Shastri has opened up on the losses that knocked them out of the tournament and the fallout of those losses on the side.

Shastri has said that people are not used to Men in Blue losing games in the recent past and hence there are “pistols and pens" coming out after a few losss and downplaying the numerous wins they have had as a side. He said that the side has learnt to take losses on their chin and move on accepting it as a part of the sport.

"In India, Cricket is a religion. You win 5 games and then when you lose, pistols and pens come out, and sometimes it's acidic. You just got to take it on the chin. We won so much, people weren't used to us losing," he said to Republic TV.

However, he reiterated his rating of the current Indian team as “the greatest team” and said that their performance in the last few months have vindicated his early rating as well. He said that people tried to discredit his views of the team but the team has produced the goods to live up to his claims which was called as “ bold and bombastic” by his critics.

"This was a young team in transition over the last 7 years. Many in the media didn't know the potential of this team. I said that this was the greatest team and knew what i said and they lived up to it. They (media) called my statements bold and bombastic. I have taken the bullet for 7 years," he added.