Rahul Dravid said that the hosts' series win included several moments but also acknowledged the return of premier spinner Ravichandran Ashwin from a personal emergency which underlined his character
Rahul Dravid (Pic: File Pic)
India's head coach Rahul Dravid was delighted to see the young players identify themselves under the leadership of Rohit Sharma. Team India never made tall claims under Rohit's captaincy but silenced the visitor's much-talked approach "Bazball" and sealed the series 4-1.
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"I'm privileged to work with a lovely team. I'm learning from them all the time. Rohit has been fantastic to work with. I think he's a terrific leader, and the guys gravitate towards him phenomenally, which is fantastic to see," Dravid told broadcasters after the match.
Rahul Dravid said that the hosts' series win included several moments but also acknowledged the return of premier spinner Ravichandran Ashwin from a personal emergency which underlined his character.
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"I'd just say Ashwin coming back to the team after what he went through (as the stand-out moment). Ash wanting to come back and contribute to the team¿ I think, for me, it signified what this team is about and what the character of this team is. "I think that was just for me, probably the standout moment of the series. It really gladdens your heart as a coach to the kind of environment that that had been created," said Dravid.
Ashwin had to leave for Chennai citing a family emergency on the second day of the Rajkot test. The veteran spinner again joined the squad on the fourth day.
There have been talks about BCCI shutting doors for players like Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer due to the ignorance of the board's diktat to play Ranji Trophy matches.
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But Dravid did not buy into that. "Rohit and I are selecting playing 11. Sometimes even I don't know who is contracted and who is not. So, no one is out of the mix as far as we are concerned, Dravid later said in the post-match press conference. Kuldeep Yadav twinkled radiantly with his left-arm wrist spin besides chipping in with some handy runs lower down the order.
Dravid was chuffed to see the wholesome improvement in Kuldeep. "It's been tough on Kuldeep Yadav. He's been bowling at a time when two legends (Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja) are playing for the team. He brings the X-Factor to the team. He has also worked hard on his batting which has been a bonus," said the former Indian captain.
Team India's all-rounder Shardul Thakur recently requested the cricket board to look into the hectic schedule of the Ranji Trophy. Rahul Dravid expressed his views saying that players' views should be considered sooner rather than later.
"We need to hear the players. They are the ones putting bodies on the line. If they are saying (about a busy schedule), we need to see how to manage the domestic schedule better," he added.
(With PTI Inputs)
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