‘If there’s one team competing against Oz, it’s India’

Expressing utter disappointment at the way the racism row was handled, Ravi Shastri has said the issue should have been resolved in the dressing room itself.

Expressing utter disappointment at the way the racism row involving Harbhajan Singh and Andrew Symonds was handled, former Indian captain Ravi Shastri has said the issue should have been resolved in the dressing room itself.

“I was surprised with the extent they took it to. I thought it was blown out of all proportion. It could have been sorted out within the dressing room by the two boards instead of taking it that far,” Shastri was quoted as saying by The Age on Friday.

The cricketer-turned-commentator also said the players should have had the matter handled by a lawyer in the first instance rather than burdening match referee Mike Procter with a situation that fell out of his jurisdiction.

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Shastri, however, observed that Australia’s focus towards India was gaining more importance than England and said the current India tour’s financial benefit to Australian cricket were ‘bigger than the Ashes’.

On the difference between previous and present Indian teams, Shastri said on Friday youngsters were aggressive as they wanted to be counted against Australia and not just ‘fill in the numbers’.

“The young kids who are coming on the block now from India, they’re right in your face, they’re not overawed by names and reputations. The bottom line is they want to compete against the best sides in the world. And that’s the biggest difference. Respect Australia for the way they play but we’re not out there to just fill in the numbers; they’re out there to compete. And that’s the attitude they bring to the table. If there’s one team competing against Australia, it’s India.”