Shastri in hot water

India coach Ravi Shastri has come under fire for his side's humiliating 4-1 Test series loss to England -- a second consecutive away defeat for the world's top-ranked side.

The thrashing in England, following the loss in South Africa earlier this year, piles pressure on Shastri ahead of a tour to Australia in November and next year's World Cup -- as well as a massive clash with arch-rivals Pakistan next week.

Critics and former captains have rounded on the coach, particularly for his mid-series claim that his team is the best to come out of India in 15 years.

"Self-belief is a wonderful quality; but being caught in the bubble of your own publicity is self-defeating," said Sambit Bal, chief editor of cricket website Cricinfo, on Twitter.

"India had their moments but the scorecards say 4-1 and India weren't as good as they should have been," said noted commentator Harsha Bhogle.

Sunil Gavaskar pointed out that Indian teams of the 1980s had won series in England and the West Indies -- as well as a series victory in England as recently as 2007.

"The best travelling teams are made by performances on the ground and not by sitting in the dressing room and talking about it," added former Test opener Virender Sehwag.