Recently, the BCCI announced that after an impressive interview, Ravi Shastri has been appointed Head Coach of the Indian senior side for the second time in his career. Zaheer Khan has been appointed as bowling consultant, while Rahul Dravid’s will serve as the batting consultant to the the Indian team on all overseas tours. Let’s look at some of the improvements that Dravid’s appointment could bring about:
1. A sense of responsibility
Let’s face it, Rahul Dravid has been India’s rock for as long as he played Test cricket. He has single handedly carried the batting on his shoulders many a time, and proved time and again that he can be a go to man in big situations. If he is able to convey that to the young-ish Indian squad during tough overseas tours, we could see a marvelous shift in our overseas fortunes.
2. The ability to absorb pressure
There’s not many cricketers out there who can claim to have absorbed pressure the way Rahul Dravid has. He has an uncanny knack of being able to spend hours on the pitch, and be content with blocking and taking ones and twos. That is a hugely important skill that this Indian team needs to learn, especially ok difficult tours like Australia and South Africa.
3. Slip Fielding will improve
Although not appointed to fix the Fielding, Rahul Dravid has been a stalwart when it comes to slip fielding and to prove it, holds the record for the most number of catches in Test cricket, most of which he took in the slips. He will definitely have some valuable advice for the likes of Kohli, Ashwin, Rahane and others.
4. Virat Kohli will gain great insight
Virat Kohli will learn a lot from Rahul Dravid, when it comes to temperament, and being able to pace an innings. Already quite adept at it, all he would need is Rahul Dravid to give him inputs on certain mistakes he makes now and then. Attitude wise, too, Rahul Dravid is a great mentor for a young captain to have with him on a hard overseas tours.
5. The art of “Stone-Walling”
Some would say this is one of the most important skills in cricket, and with absolutely no doubt most people can agree that Rahul Dravid was the undisputed Grandmaster of the art. His technique was always perfect, with a perfectly still head, and straight bat. If he could impart some of that knowledge to this team, the instances where we have been shot out early for low scores against a quality bowling attack would reduce greatly.
By Aravind Harish
