‘TO HELL WITH NET PRACTICE’

“To hell with the nets,” was what coach Ravi Shastri said after the Adelaide Test, the India coach stressing more on resting his players. “We lost the first Test in England by 31, lost the first Test in South Africa by 60-70, so this is a very good feeling for the boys to come out on top. When you get off to a good start, there’s belief,” Shastri said. The teams will be heading to Perth for the second Test that starts on December 14 and Shastri, who is confident that the fast bowlers will have a crucial role to play, hinted at ditching net practice ahead of the clash. “They have to rest up, to hell with the nets. You just come there, mark your attendance and get away to the hotel. We know the Perth track is quick, it’s a drop in surface, there will be something there for the fast bowlers .... The bowlers were brilliant in the first innings, the discipline was magnificent. They’ve worked on it, it’s not come overnight,” Shastri said.