Not just 1 or 2, every player chipped in against SA: Shastri

Ranchi: Following India's commanding performance in the three-Test series against South Africa which they won 3-0, head coach Ravi Shastri on Tuesday emphasized that it was a complete team effort and not just performance from certain individuals that helped them register their record 11th Test series win at home.

India thrashed Proteas by an innings and 202 runs on Day Four of the Ranchi Test and in the process completed their first-ever series whitewash over South Africa. South Africa had already lost the Test series by tasting comprehensive defeats in the first two Tests. In Visakhapatnam, India won by 203 runs and went to register an emphatic innings and 137 runs in Pune.

"It is a team effort. Normally, in India you have two players hogging the limelight. But in this series, everyone chipped in. That is what you want," said Shastri after the conclusion of the third and final Test at the JSCA Stadium here.

Contrary to the history where batters have always been on the forefront, the bowling of the current Indian regime has been the highlight as every bowler, be it pacer or spinner, has been contributing to India's success in last two to three years.

"We had a wish that we could take pitch out of the equation. We always wanted to take 20 wickets irrespective of where we were playing," said Shastri.

"Our batting is pretty much like a Ferrari taking off. We are just focussed on taking 20 wickets," he added.

Shastri also heaped praise on Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane who scored brilliant tons in the Ranchi Test and helped the team declare their first innings for 497/9.

"Ajinkya Rahane was always there. He just needed to rediscover himself," Shastri said of Rahane who scored his first Test hundred in India after a gap of three years.

"When you need to open in Tests, you might get out in the first 10 balls. But Rohit did well to hang in there for the first two hours. And things changed after lunch for him to take advantage of that. The job satisfaction that an opener gets is wonderful," the Indian head coach said about Rohit, who scored 529 runs in the four innings he played in the series which consisted of three hundreds.

The India head coach also reserved praise for left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem, who took four wickets on his debut Test.

"(I am) extremely impressed with Nadeem. He comes over the top and has a great wrist position. The guy has put in the yards at the domestic level and I am glad he finally had his chance at his home ground. He had no nerves and bowled three maidens on the trot," Shastri said.

India are currently placed at the top of the points table in the ongoing World Test Championships by registering five wins in all the five matches they have played so far since the inception of the WTC.