Questions still remain whether pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah will be risked by India for the second Test as his workload continues to be managed, while the team are also tossing up whether to include a second spinner in their line-up to help first-choice tweaker Ravindra Jadeja.
But Shastri is not too concerned by team selection and instead wants his former side to concentrate on playing positive cricket with good intent during the crucial Edgbaston contest.
“The most important thing for India is to throw the counter punch almost immediately,” Shastri told The ICC Review.
“When you lose a Test match like this where you have dominated most of it and then you lose it on the last day with a big chase and full marks to England for keeping their composure and doing that, it will need a lot of character to come to the fore and to bounce back in the series.
“Now, whether Bumrah plays or doesn’t play, one doesn’t know. But let’s hope he does because this is a very important Test match and all is not lost.
“It’s just you take it one game at a time. It’s a five-match series and India will be hoping to bounce back.”
