Indian coach Ravi Shastri said, “It not fair to single out any one player as batsmen from both the teams have struggled. It is a case of mental resolve. How you put mind over matter and mental discipline will be the key,” while talking about India’s batting performances at a press conference, ahead of India vs England third Test match.

Talking about the batsmen’s plight and underwhelming performances in the current series, Shastri said, “Conditions have been tough, as you have seen right through the series, but that’s where character comes into play, and mental discipline comes into play.”

Shastri added, “The resolve, to know where your off-stump, to need to leave a lot of balls, to be prepared to look ugly and dirty, and show some grit. Just believe in yourself. You have been in this situation a couple of times before, and you have responded,” while talking about what the Indian batsmen would need to do to improve their performances.

India played Kuldeep Yadav in the place of Umesh Yadav. Kuldeep had a horrendous Test match as he ended the match with figures of 0/44. Speaking on the selection goof-up in context of Kuldeep, Shastri said, ”In the hindsight, it was an error. Seeing the conditions we could have gone with an extra seamer that might have helped. However, you didn’t know how much it would rain or if the match would go in the final day or not.”

Watch Ravi Shastri Talk About Virat Kohli's Fitness and More Ahead of IND vs ENG 3rd Test Match:

The Indian team is facing a lot of flak in recent times, and rightly so. Given the manner the team has performed in the first two matches, it is really shambolic. The first Test match at Edgbaston (in Birmingham) was still a close contest; however, the second Test at Lord's (in London) was a one-sided affair.

However, come Saturday, the Indian team would look to set the scoreline straight as if they lose, they will lose the series, and if they are able to draw the match, the series would still be alive. The third Test match between India and England will begin from August 18, i.e. Saturday.

How and what will the team combination be, it is for the think-tank to decide. Will Rishabh Pant get a look ahead of Dinesh Karthik, is also a tactical decision the Indian team will have to take. Stay tuned with us for all the latest updates about India vs England 2018 Series!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 16, 2018 09:34 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).