Rohit Sharma would've preferred "20-25 days to prepare" for the World Test Championship (WTC) last, however Ravi Shastri, the previous India coach, was extra pragmatic concerning the floor actuality, placing the onus on the gamers as a substitute, saying make a "choice" between lacking components of the IPL and making ready for a recreation of this magnitude.

"See, that's never going to happen," Shastri advised Star Sports in response to Rohit's assertion. The Indian captain had advised how "ideal preparation", like in 2021 after they toured England almost three weeks previous to the beginning of the Test sequence, labored of their favour with India happening to take a 2-1 lead earlier than Covid-19 compelled the postponement of the ultimate Test.

"Let's be realistic here. You're not going to get those 20 days. And if that's the case then you've got to miss IPL," Shastri stated. "So, the choice is yours and it's up to the establishment as well. I'm sure the BCCI will review this in the future, if a World Test Championship [final] is going to come after an IPL every time in the month of June, then for that season, if your team qualifies for the final, there should be certain clauses put to franchises."

"Schedules are so cramped and tight. When you've been playing international cricket, if you're here three weeks before the tour and play two side games, you're going to be better prepared. We don't have that, we have to do what we can, but no excuses, no complaints."

"There are lot of players who are doing really well in our domestic cricket as well. It's just about finding them and giving them that space."

Rohit Sharma

India's quick bowlers - particularly the change bowlers - missed their strains within the first innings towards Australia. Rohit advised having extra time earlier than the match might need helped them get into the rhythm of bowling in Test match cricket after two months of continuous T20 cricket.

"Yeah, ideally, we would want to have a good time in hand to prepare, give enough rest to the bowlers," Rohit stated on the post-match press convention. "Sometimes, it can be tough because playing T20 cricket, you completely bowl different lengths, different lines, and a lot of change-ups.

"And then Test cricket, clearly, requires numerous self-discipline, hitting that space constantly and difficult the batsmen - however once more, you realize [Mohammed] Shami, [Mohammed] Siraj, Umesh [Yadav] all of them are skilled, they clearly know the way to put together themselves and prepare for a recreation like this. But in a really perfect state of affairs, sure, I would like it if we now have 20-25 days to organize for a recreation like this."

Head coach Rahul Dravid also wasn't happy with the cramped schedule•ICC/Getty Images

Shastri calls for India to start succession planning

Shastri believes it's imperative for the team management and the selectors to chart a succession plan to ensure young players coming through get a feel for the game at the highest level before they are called up for something like a final. This, he felt, had to be done, even if it meant "taking laborious calls individuals might not like."

"That's what the think-tank and the selectors must sit and see, draw a plan, have the imaginative and prescient to see the way you replenish your squad," he said. "Australians are excellent at doing that through the years. They see the place they wish to be in three years' time. They do not watch for instantly 5 gamers to go away from the aspect.

"They're constantly getting in youth. So there's a combination of youth and experience all the time. The youngsters learn quickly from the senior players. So your team is healthy and strong right through. So that planning has to be done. They're hard calls, people might not like it, but it's the team's interest that is paramount and that's how you should look at it."

This planning is one thing Rohit additionally spoke about. "Any tournament you play, you start looking at what possibly you can do moving ahead," he stated on Sunday. "Honestly, the game just got over. We haven't really given too much thought to what we want to do in the future. Obviously, there will be some talks around it and we'll see whatever is required and whatever is best, whatever the brand of cricket we want to play in the next two years.

"And who're the fellows who can try this function for us? That is the query that we have to discover solutions to. And there are numerous guys, there are numerous gamers who're doing very well in our home cricket as properly. It's nearly discovering them and giving them that house, sufficient time to go ahead and do the job for us. It's all about that. The focus might be clearly on that."

Shashank Kishore is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo