South Africa are top side but we won't step back: Ravi Shastri

Bengaluru Indian Team Director Ravi Shastri today said that South Africa are still a formidable side despite the retirement of some big players recently but his side will continue their aggressive brand of cricket in the upcoming series beginning on October 2It is like asking me about Indian team without Sachin Tendulkar VVS Laxman Anil Kumble players will come and go but you got to respect the fact that SA are world number one side Shastri said at a press conference when asked about the visiting side who are coming without the likes of retired Jacques KallisRavi Shastri Team Selector Roger Binny and Virat Kohli during the preparatory camp Pic PTISouth Africa are a stiff opposition They play well in overseas conditions better than any other side in world cricket They travelled better than any other team and records will show that And so we what we are up against The respect is there but we will not take any backward steps he told reporters at the National Cricket Academy where Indian team is holding a campSouth Africa are coming to India for a more than twomonth long tour which begins with a limited overs series India and South Africa begin the series with a Twenty20 International at Dharamsala on October 2The former India allrounder brushed aside any talk of Mahendra Singhs possible rustiness to lead the side against South Africa in the limited over matches India last played an ODI in June in Bangladesh and Dhoni who has retired from Test led the sideNo problem at all You are talking about a season campaigner one of the legends one of the alltime greats in world cricket and not only of Indian cricket you know I am saying as a captain He Dhoni takes over a job he has been doing and so it is nothing new Shastri saidEverything fits into place automatically For the team there is no difference they played under him in the World Cup The last time they played an ODI they played under MS in Bangladesh What is the difference they are playing under a champion What else do you want he saidAsked its high time that Dhoni bats up the order Shastri said the captain himself will take a call on the day He said its time for him to enjoy the game because he had been doing dirty work for years Dont you think it is about time He has done the dirty work for donkeys years Give him a chance to enjoy himself You are talking of probably the greatest ODI captains and players Dont worry about MS he will decide on the day whether to bat up the order he saidShastri said that no batsman in the Indian team was in the comfort zone and they should be prepared to bat in any position Nobody is in a comfort zone As a batsman in the top order you should be prepared to bat anywhere as the team demands Now these were unforeseen circumstances otherwise they would not have to do it like we had to face when Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan both were injured said ShastriThe unavailability of Dhawan and Vijay in the recent Test series in Sri Lanka prompted the team management to send Cheteshwar Pujara to open the innings and he lapped up the opportunity by scoring a superb hundred in Third TestShastri also made it clear that the five bowler theory adopted in Test by Virat Kohli was not a permanent strategy and team combination will depend on the playing conditions and the rivalsNo it five bowler theory is not a permanent strategy You have to respect the conditions In this game of cricket you cannot go in and say that I am going to go with this team It will backfire on you if the conditions are totally different he saidSo you might need six batsmen you might need four and a half bowlers you might need just a bowler to do the job to give the main bowlers a rest You have to play according to the conditions and play to the opposition It is important to study the opposition you are up against and then decide what should be the best combination of your team he addedReplying to a query Shastri said the most successful series for him during his tenure so far was the tour of Australia where he said players learnt hard lessons whichhave been put into practice by the young Indian side passionate about cricket and craving for consistencyFor me the most successful tour was that of Australia I keep saying this the result was 20 down Then we had a great World Cup but lessons learnt in that tour was hard lessons Those lessons have been put into practice which I am really heartened by because its a young team the players are passionate they want to learn They dont want to rest on their laurels and they want to be consistent he saidShastri said he had taken up the Team Directors assignment as a challenge and a responsibility and he wants the team to maintain consistency over the next nine months Every assignment for me has been a big one in the last year You take it one series at a time there is no small series in world cricket today its just that the teams change The work ethics what you put into place to win a game all that has to be done in the same way as you do with any other team So nothing changesI take it as a challenge It is a responsibility it is a challenge which I have never backed away from in anything I have done in life So this is no exception It is a brilliant young team You have seen the performances over the last year I dont have to say you can judge in all formats of the game And the endeavour will be to keep that consistency going over the next eightnine months till we are in charge Shastri saidThe Team Director also said that bench strength of the senior side was very good with the players in the India A team doing wellIt bench strength is very good I am going to have a chat with Rahul Dravid India A coach sometime today to find out because he is in the best position to know who are the guys who can come through the ranks The fact that the amount of cricket Rahul has played he would know quickly know who would be the bloke who could bridge the gap and make the grade to senior India side he saidAsked if it makes a difference that he and his support staff have been assured of their jobs till the end of World Twenty20 in March next year Shastri said Absolutely Take your job If your boss tells you You are here for just a month and after a month I will decide if you carry on with your job how will you feel Very simpleShastri and the assistant coaches B Arun bowling R Sridhar fielding and Sanjay Bangar batting had their contracts renewed on a seriesbyseries basis before their contract was extended until the end of World Twenty20