Shastri said loss of form is something no batter has been able to escape.
The series sees a return of India’s star batters Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, who were given a rest following the T20 World Cup 2022.
The ODI series is also considered as India’s first assignment towards the preparation for the 50-over World Cup at home next year.
The Men in Blue failed to end their ICC trophy drought last month as they faced a semi-final exit with a 10-wicket defeat against England.
With Rohit and Kohli likely to be done playing T20Is, it is important that the two superstars of Indian cricket make runs consistently leading up to the 2023 ODI World Cup.
While Kohli regained his form after a prolonged lean patch at the Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup, Rohit is struggling lately with his last fifty coming back in June against England.
Meanwhile, former India coach Ravi Shastri has spoken in support of Kohli and Rohit, saying loss of form is something no batter has been able to escape and it is bound to happen with the excessive amount of cricket going on these days.
"It has happened to everybody. When need be, it happened with even Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Tendulkar, Dhoni... no one was spared. Everyone has their time because the expectations are so high. And it's a very sentimental lot. We Indians... we expect a lot, we want consistency at the same time. But we should also think that they are all human beings. You can't expect them to be on the road and performing all the time. Sometimes it happens, you will get ebbs and flows in form. It's only natural," Shastri told veteran sports journalist Vimal Kumar during an interview on his YouTube channel.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been the stand-out batters for India in the last decade, especially the 50-over format. While Kohli has 12344 runs to his name from 262 ODIs at an average of 57.68 with 43 centuries, Rohit has amassed 9376 runs in 233 ODIs at 48.58 with 29 tons.