The Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) secretary Sanjay Patel was at pains yesterday to explain to the media that Rahul Dravid’s forthcoming interactive sessions with Team India batsmen ahead of their five-Test battle against England does not mean he is a batting consultant
The Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) secretary Sanjay Patel was at pains yesterday to explain to the media that Rahul Dravid’s forthcoming interactive sessions with Team India batsmen ahead of their five-Test battle against England does not mean he is a batting consultant.
Probably, Dravid, who is now a television commentator, may not have been able to spend an extended period of time with the team. It could also be that the Board was not overly keen to rope in a consultant for the tour. Whatever be the case, Dravid agreeing to spend time with the batsmen is a good thing for the team considering how successful he has been in England.
Fine track record
Apart from scoring 1,376 runs in 13 Tests there (including six centuries), Dravid has led India to a rare series win in 2007. And his 148 against Nasser Hussain’s men in the 2002 Leeds Test must be rated as one of the finest Indian innings overseas.
Lessons from The Wall
Dravid would be most invaluable when it comes to helping the batters get into good position to cope with the swing that the England bowlers will generate in their conditions. This is where a sound technique comes in. The former batsman had plenty of it; India’s current batsmen have to show more of it.
Need of local experts
While the Dhoni-Fletcher combine has made a start where encouraging an outside view is concerned, the captain and coach should also be open to having local experts to accompany the team.
This newspaper repeats what it has recommended before: “The Indian team need inputs from a man, apart from the chief coach, who has latest information on pitches and opposition players.”
Hopefully, at the end of five Tests in England, India’s cricket bosses can say that they did their best to improve on the 0-4 shellacking in 2011.
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