Dravid lauds youngsters for performing ‘straightaway’ in India’s transition

Rahul Dravid first noticed the Indian Check staff transition as a participant in 2008. It began with the retirement of Sourav Ganguly, adopted by MS Dhoni taking on the captaincy from Anil Kumble. Then, Dravid himself retired together with VVS Laxman in 2012 to make manner for Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli, earlier than Sachin Tendulkar’s fairytale exit a 12 months later signalled the tip of a golden period in Indian cricket.

A decade later, Dravid has a ringside view of one other Indian staff in transition, this time as a head coach and somebody who has spent appreciable time within the system, particularly the age-group and pathway programmes.

Pujara, the person who changed Dravid as India’s long-term No. 3 for a greater a part of the final decade, now finds himself out of the combination after 103 Assessments. Shubman Gillwho flourished as an age-group cricketer underneath Dravid, has taken that spot, with Yashasvi Jaiswal having been blooded in to be the left-hand opener Rohit Sharma believes might serve Indian cricket for a very long time to return.

Jaiswal marked his debut in Dominica final week with a mature 171 in India’s huge win to open the 2023-25 WTC cycle. That he batted the best way he did – “prepared to play an attacking recreation when required but in addition knuckle down and be defensive, work laborious for his runs when wanted” – does not shock Dravid one bit.

“It is a tribute to the home system,” Dravid stated on the eve of the second Check in Port-of-Spain starting on Thursday. “It is a tribute to the setting across the staff that lots of younger gamers are in a position to are available in and carry out straightaway. Plenty of credit score ought to go to the home system for producing these sort of gamers, particularly within the batting division, and in addition the relaxed setting the staff right here has been in a position to create to permit younger gamers to return and categorical themselves.

“So it is good from our perspective as a coach to see younger gamers are available in, carry out straightaway and do rather well, whether or not it is Yashasvi within the final recreation or the best way Shubman has grown over the past six-eight months or seeing the best way Ishan [Kishan] got here in and saved within the final recreation on a tough wicket, he did a extremely good job. So there’s been lots of younger gamers, we have seen even in a single days and T20s, who’ve come by way of and performed rather well. So yeah, credit score to our home system, NCA and lots of different individuals who could make that potential for us.”

In lauding the children, Dravid additionally struck a notice of warning, hoping they’ll counter harder challenges to mark the subsequent degree of studying and development.

“I do know individuals like Jaiswal and Gill will probably be confronted with harder challenges as they go on and play extra cricket,” Dravid stated. “Groups will get to know them higher. Even on this Check, we’ll see the West Indies in all probability provide you with techniques and techniques having seen Jaiswal within the final Check match, and so they’ll reply to that.

“The problem for Jaiswal is to answer the techniques and techniques West Indies are going to provide you with on this recreation. As a result of at the moment, as a younger participant, when you get recognized, when you begin performing nicely, groups begin planning and making ready for you higher so you might want to reply to that as nicely. So, wanting ahead to that however actually excited to see his expertise, how nicely he carried out. Simply the best way he tailored, was actually happy to see that he was prepared to play an attacking recreation when required but in addition knuckle down and be defensive, and work laborious for his runs when required. As a coach, nothing pleases you greater than that.”