5 aspects addressed by Kohli & Shastri before the Australia tour

Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri recently addressed the media just before leaving for the all-important tour of Australia. What was different in this press meet as opposed to others that the duo has been a part of, was that all the criticisms faced by them after a poor show in England and South Africa were duly addressed, without any sparks flying or issues being hid under the carpet.

It was refreshing to see that the Indian captain and Indian coach were not blind to the flaws, unaware of what the people thought of them or wore a mask in order to avoid answering tough questions.

Following are the 5 major criticisms that they have been facing in recent times and the apt answers the duo gave regarding the same :

#1 The Kohli-Shastri alliance

After India's abysmal performance in England, stones were thrown by the media on the coach Ravi Shastri and his contribution to the Indian team. Stalwarts like Sourav Ganguly openly criticised Ravi's involvement as a coach in the Indian team despite him being a part of the COA committee.

People also speculated that had Kumble been the coach on tours of South Africa and England, Kohli wouldn't have committed the selection blunders that he did and the scoreline would have been different.

People also speculated that Kumble was thrown out for his opinions were contrary to the Indian captain and that Ravi Shastri was the coach just because he agreed to whatever the Indian captain said.

Clarifying this criticism, Virat Kohli quoted " About Ravi Shastri saying 'Yes' all the time, that is the most bizarre thing I've heard. I don't think there's anyone who has said "No" to me more than him in Indian cricket. He's one guy I can speak to for an honest opinion and he'll tell me if something doesn't need to be done, doesn't need to be done. I've made more changes to my game listening to him than anyone in the past."

Further, Kohli also said that it was Shastri's contribution that made players like himself and Dhawan come out of their shells after a disastrous tour of England in 2014. Also, his man-management skills were supreme, something that is very vital in cricket at the highest level - thereby ending all the debates on the captain-coach combination.

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#2 No more chopping and changing in the ODI team

Indian team has been continuously chopped and changed off late.

Will MS Dhoni be a part of the World Cup? Who is India's number 4? Why is KL Rahul not playing? What is the perfect combination heading into the World Cup? - All these questions were continuously flying on top of people's heads during India's recent ODI series'.

There were criticisms of not having a stable eleven, of people not knowing what their role is in the team, and of players not being secured enough of their place in the side. Ravi Shastri addressed the issue by stating " As far as ODI cricket goes, we'll try and play close to a 15 that will go to the World Cup. Chopping and changing is over now".

"The period of rest is over. Now is the time to really get focused, play as a unit and hopefully not have too many injuries and take it from there. There are 8 games in the tour of Australia and New Zealand and 5 against Australia in India. So we'll try and play the best team at all times. "

#3 Controversies of the past

"We were never the ones starting anything previously"

Australian tours are known for sledging and the banter going on the field as much as off the field. Stories about the 'Monkey-Gate' incident or Virat Kohli showing his middle finger to the Australian crowd are still fresh in everyone's mind.

Many believe that unnecessary sledging on the field in Australia and the use of abusive language damages the reputation of the Indian team. Also, some people stated that Virat plays his best game only when the opponent sledges him to fire him up.

To clarify this, Kohli answered, "We were never the ones starting anything previously. We were always giving it back. As long as the altercation doesn't start we have no problem focusing on our game and doing what we need to do and we don't necessarily need to go and look out for something. If they want to play in a certain way, we'll reciprocate in a certain way.

"That's how the game of cricket goes. But in our own minds, we have to keep it competitive and not let our energies drop. That'll be our main focus."

#4 India's progress in all 3 formats under Ravi Shastri

India has played limited overs cricket exceptionally well this year.

The beginning of the year presented with itself a lot of opportunities for the Indian team to make this a memorable cricketing year by winning series' in South Africa and England. This Indian team had something that no other team ever had before - an army of genuinely quick fast bowlers, and actually had a realistic chance to win series' away, something that captain Kohli prioritized immensely.

However, due to tactical errors more than on-field mistakes, India lost 2-1 in South Africa and 4-1 in England. The scorelines did not indicate the kind of cricket India played, yet, however well you play, the results tell the true story.

Coach Ravi Shastri was severely criticized by many for India's scoreline. Responding to the criticisms, Shastri said " I see a lot of progress across all formats, and I say that despite the scoreline in England. When you see at actual performances across formats, in foreign conditions, I'm more than happy. It's still a learning process. If we learn from our mistakes in South Africa and England, it will hold is in good stead in Australia."

#5 Kohli's answer on the 'Leave India' controversy

Kohli recently faced a lot of flak for his comment to an Indian fan.

Recently, Virat Kohli addressed an Indian that if he likes South African and English batsmen more than Indian batsmen, he should leave India and stay abroad in those countries.

This stirred a national debate with several on the social media sternly criticizing Kohli's autocratic comments. Virat faced a lot of flak on social media as well, so much so that he had to issue a clarification on Twitter, requesting people to not take it so seriously. A report also mentioned that Virat's favourite player was South African 'Herschelle Gibbs' when he was young, so he has no right to criticize any Indian if his role models are from other countries.

When he was asked the same question during the press conference, Virat seemed a little uncomfortable, responding to the same by stating, "I have always had one idol and you know his name. I've made my clarification on Twitter".