Former Sri Lanka Cricketer Aravinda De Silva is all praise for Rahul Dravid. Dravid’s stint as India’s U19 coach has helped India to build formidable bench strength, believes De Silva.
Rahul Dravid is currently in Sri Lanka as the head coach of the Shikhar Dhawan-led Indian team for a limited-overs tour against the hosts. The Indian team will play three one-day internationals and as many T20 internationals, starting from July 13.
“When Rahul was appointed as the U-19 coach, I felt India did a great job. I’ve been trying to convince Mahela to take charge of our U-19 team for a long time, but I was not so successful in doing so,” He said during an interaction facilitated by Sony.
He also stated that Rahul Dravid has instilled the right kind of knowledge and discipline in India’s young brigade.
“The U-19 stage is where the foundation is. And if you lay the foundation right, it becomes so much easier to progress from thereon because that’s where I feel you’ll be able to learn about the necessary discipline, knowledge, and strategy, and related matters.”
“So once you have the foundation laid by someone like Rahul, who’s himself a very disciplined individual, the right kind of knowledge and discipline required at that young age will be enforced. And of course, it’s important for them to have someone who has been their hero as their coach. That really helps these guys to progress and build their careers from thereon.” he added.
No way you can call any side second string: Aravinda De Silva
Recently, Arjuna Ranatunga’s “second-string Indian side” comment sparked off controversy. His former teammate Aravinda De Silva says you cannot call any side second string.
“Personally, I think any side could make a change and play exciting cricket. India have an enormous amount of talent going around at the moment. And no way can you call any side second string. If you look at the situation worldwide, there’s rotation happening. Besides, being in the bubble is very challenging, especially for the youngsters.” De Silva said.
Arvinda De Silva also criticized Angelo Matthew’s decision to pull out from the India series.
“There aren’t many years left in terms of Angelo’s future, but he could still offer a lot of things to Sri Lankan cricket and could’ve shown his spirit and character if he had handled the situation in a manly way rather than in this manner,” he said.
Get the latest update on IPL 2021, England vs India 2021, and other cricket news. Like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.