Although India lost the T20I series 2-0 to South Africa, team director Ravi Shastri refused to read too much into it and exuded confidence for the five-match ODI and four-match Test series. Excerpts from his media interaction after the final T20 was called off here on Thursday.
On the T20I loss: I would pin it down to one game really in Cuttack where we could have played much better but we just did not show up. The boys are also disappointed about it. We would have liked to have a full game here. That did not happen. There are a plenty of things to learn. I'm disappointed with the result as anybody would be. We play to win. But it's nothing that it will give me a sleepless night. It has taught me a lot as well going forward into the World Twenty20. There's a long way to go. It's very good that a team like SA have come. They are one of the strongest across all formats. By the time they leave we will be a much stronger team in two and a half months down the lime irrespective of the result.
On MS Dhoni’s suggestion on finding a new No 6 batsmen in limited overs cricket: That is why we are very keen to see the December month when all the one-day competitions are scheduled. The No 6 position has a different role in 50-over cricket, but an extremely important role in T20 cricket. The team that goes on to win the World T20, you will see their No 6 batsman could be a very crucial player. The whole December and January months will be watched closely.
On the game being abandoned: To have an abandoned game at Eden Gardens is most disappointing because of the crowd. These are circumstances that are not entirely in your control. The umpires know what's the best for both sides. They know the one-day series is coming up two days from now. They would have taken all these into the account plus the crowd. We would have wanted a match but these are unforeseen things. The problem was there was no sunshine. And unfortunately the sun doesn’t shine in the night.