Rahul Dravid, the head coach of Team India, commends skipper Rohit Sharma for his leadership during the Test series against England. Despite a loss in the first Test, Rohit and the team made a remarkable comeback, winning the next four Tests to secure a 4-1 series victory.
Despite the absence of key players like Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, and Mohammed Shami, and inexperience in the batting department, Dravid is delighted with how the young players supported Rohit and orchestrated a comeback.
In an interview with the host broadcaster after India’s decisive victory in Dharamsala, Rahul Dravid shared his thoughts on collaborating with Rohit Sharma and other players:
“I think I’m privileged to work with a lovely team. It’s not just about me. And I think this is a fantastic bunch of professionals that I have the privilege of working with. And I’m learning from them all the time. Rohit [Sharma] has been fantastic to work with.”
“I think he’s a terrific leader. And just the guys gravitate towards him phenomenally, which is fantastic to see.”
Rohit Sharma amassed 400 runs in the five Tests at a notable average of 44.44, featuring crucial centuries in Rajkot and Dharamsala. He achieved the distinction of being the first captain to secure a Test series victory against the Bazball ideology advocated by Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum.
Rahul Dravid expresses admiration for Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar
A significant highlight for India in the Test series was the impressive performance of young talents such as Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Shubman Gill, Sarfaraz Khan, and others. With five debutants in the series, most of them made a favorable impression.
Rahul Dravid commended Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar and his team for their diligent efforts in identifying and promoting these players. Dravid emphasized:
“A lot of the youngsters that come in, honestly, as a coach and as a captain, we don’t actually get to see them because we don’t see as much domestic cricket as Ajit and his team of selectors do.”
“And they’ve pushed us and they’ve challenged us to pick some of these young players and they’ve picked the right ones and they’ve come out here and performed.”
The Test series triumph against England stands out as potentially the pinnacle of Rahul Dravid’s tenure as India’s head coach. His upcoming challenge is the crucial T20 World Cup in June, set to take place in the West Indies and the USA.
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