India head coach Ravi Shastri has been facing flak for claiming that the current lot, under Virat Kohli, have been travelling better than the teams of the last 15-20 years.

Shastri, during an interaction with the media on Wednesday in London, insisted that India had won nine matches overseas in the last three years and that even teams with "great players" in the past didn't have a similar run.

The former India captain, who took over the head coach's role after Anil Kumble's controversial exit last year, also insisted the scoreline of the ongoing series in England could have been in India's favour if they had been better at getting past the finish line.

India conceded an unassailable 3-1 lead to hosts England after a 61-run defeat in the fourth Test in Southampton earlier this week. The visitors followed a familiar script as yet another batting collapse saw them lose the match after being in a position of strength at the Ageas Bowl.

"If you look at the last three years, we have won nine matches overseas and three series [against West Indies and twice in Sri Lanka]," Shastri said.

"I can't see any other Indian team in the last 15-20 years that has had the same run in such a short time, and you have had some great players playing in those series. So the promise is there, and it's just about getting tougher mentally.

"The scoreline says 3-1, which means India, have lost the series. What the scoreline doesn't say that India could have been 3-1 or it could have been 2-2, and my teams knows it.

"They would have been hurt and rightly so after the last game. But this is a team that will not throw in the towel."

Ravi Shastri
Ravi Shastri.PHILL MAGAKOE/AFP/Getty Images

Shastri's comments helped raise quite a few eyebrows as India's last series win in England came only 11 years ago when a Rahul Dravid-led visiting side won a three-match series 1-0.

MS Dhoni's team faced whitewashes in England and Australia during the 2011 and 2012 seasons but the World Cup-winning Indian captain had found success in New Zealand (1-0 win 2008/09) and drawn a series in South Africa (1-1 in 2010/11).

Under Sourav Ganguly, India had become better travellers and even challenged the mighty Australian team of the early 2000s Down Under.

On the contrary, India have five of their seven matches since the start of the year, which includes a 2-1 series defeat in South Africa.

Lack of red-ball preparations, skewed team selection strategies and constant chopping and changing have been seen as factors that have contributed to India's inability to cross the finish line in South Africa and England.

IBTimes, India has compiled a list of reactions to Shastri's recent comments. Check them out below.