Chance For Youngsters To Step Up: Dravid
By : Upender Yellutla
Update: 2024-01-23 18:46 GMT
Hyderabad: India head coach Rahul Dravid said on Tuesday Virat Kohli’s move to pull out of the first two Test matches in the five-match series against England will give a chance for others to prove themselves. He also felt that the side will miss his presence. “Any team will miss the quality of a player like Virat. There is no doubt about that. He is a phenomenal player and his records speak for himself. On the field his presence is a huge boost to the side but I think it just presents another opportunity to somebody else to be able step up and put in some performances,” Dravid told a press conference here at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium which will host the first game from Thursday.
The former Indian captain also confirmed that K. L. Rahul — who made his wicket-keeping debut in the Test format in the series against South Africa — has been relieved from ’keeping duties. He might vie with Shreyas Iyer for the spot vacated by Virat. “Rahul will not be playing as a wicket-keeper in this series and we made it clear by selecting two other wicket-keepers (K. S. Bharat and Dhruv Jurel) in the squad,” Dravid said.
The coach also mentioned that current and upcoming Test series will provide good chances for upcoming and experienced players. “We have got some experience in our side. Rohit is been around for a while and Rahul as well played close to 50 Test matches himself. Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja) and Ash (Ravichandran Ashwin) have been with us for more than a decade and there are some other good young exciting guys like Shubaman Gill and Shreyas. They have not played a lot of Test cricket but have certainly been in and around of the camp a lot. I think they will take it as a good opportunity over the course of five matches and to set some splendid markers,” Dravid said.
“We have lot of Test cricket over the next 12 to 18 months, almost 15 Test matches to play. So it will be a really good opportunity for some of these young players, who have had some experience and taste of international cricket, to take the next steps,” he added.
“We can’t focus on the World Test Championship (WTC) at this stage. As of now we are focusing on this series and the first match in particular. We don’t want to think too far ahead,” he said when asked about his plans for the 2023-25 WTC cycle.
Dravid is excited to watch England’ Bazball attack and use the home side’s experience in these conditions to give strong reply to their challenge. “England hasn’t played in India much but a lot of their players have travelled and got good exposure at various levels. It should not be an issue for us. They’ve had success with Bazball, done well in Pakistan and won in New Zealand. So, we have to respect that,” Dravid said.
“Certainly a lot of England cricketers played here for IPL and they are a strong team. But we know that it’s going to be a challenge for them in these conditions. I’m looking forward to seeing how our boys respond,” Dravid added.