Cricket
Rahul Dravid on Indias strategy against England


By Kajal Sharma - 29 Jan 2024 11:50 AM
India would design their strategies based on the scenarios that the contest presents to them in the rubber match, according to Rahul Dravid.Head coach Rahul Dravid stated that although he did not witness Indian batsmen responding in kind to England's "Bazball," they would not be regressing in the five-match Test series that starts here on Thursday. According to Dravid, India will design their strategies based on the scenarios that arise during the match. We're not going to try to be extremely aggressive, in my opinion. I believe that we try to play the cards that are dealt to us and the circumstances warrant. However, if you look at our top six-seven batsmen, you'll see that many of them are aggressive players who approach the game with a good attitude.Thus, they won't be attempting to alter that in any specific manner. There will be a variety of scenarios where we might have to bat for extended stretches of time or try to advance the game.In a Tuesday conversation, Dravid stated, "But I can't see any of my batsmen taking a backward step or looking to be defensive."Nonetheless, Dravid was confident that England would challenge the hosts fiercely in the series, and the head coach believed his squad would rise to the occasion by drawing on their prior experience playing in similar conditions."Watching them perform has been thrilling, and you can tell that they've had success doing it. They've achieved success in Pakistan. They had triumphed in New Zealand and had an incredible series in the Ashes against Australia. We must thus honor that.However, we are aware that they will have difficulties in these circumstances because we are familiar with them. Our attack is well-versed in our vast experience.
Knowing that we'll be under pressure, I'm interested to watch how our boys react," Dravid added.Dravid also described the five-match series as an excellent opportunity for Indian players, both veteran and developing, to leave some outstanding legacy, given that India is scheduled to play a few more Tests in the current World Test Championship (WTC) cycle in the following months."I think it's important to let people play the manner they feel most comfortable. Their evaluation will be based on the outcomes they generate. They must, then, figure out how to play and get beyond it. However, they do have some positive experience."People such as Rohit have been in the game for a long time; Jaddu (Jadeja) and Ash (Ashwin) have been in the game for over ten years. KL (Rahul) has also been in the game for a long. "There is a lot of Test cricket (for us) over the next 12 to 18 months, so it's a really good opportunity for them to set some good markers over the course of the next five games." "After getting a taste of international cricket, it's a great chance for some of these young players to advance. I'm curious to follow their progress," he said.Due to personal reasons, star batsman Virat Kohli will miss the opening two Test matches against England. Although the squad would miss Kohli's presence and experience, Dravid stated that his absence presents an opportunity for another player to rise up and establish themselves. The fact that India will be playing a five-match Test series following a significant break thrilled the former skipper of India as well. India's most recent five-match series, which was played in a dispersed manner due to Covid fears, was against the same opponent during the pandemic era. "We are eagerly anticipating this. Because England's Test series is one of the most watched in the world, it's always exciting when they play. After a long break, there should be five excellent Test matches. "Both teams are likely to trade a lot of punches. I sincerely hope that you understand that we can get off to a quick start and perhaps hit a few balls early on," he said.