The Indian cricket team registered a sensational innings and 64-run win over the England cricket team in the fifth and final Test match of the series, registering a 4-1 win. India completely outclassed England on the 3rd day of the Test yet again, bundling the Ben Stokes-led side out for just 195 runs after putting 479 runs on the board in the first innings.
While there were many great and standout moments from the Indian players in the series, however, Rohit’s captaincy was rather understated. However, Indian head coach Rahul Dravid heaped praises on the ‘captain’ Rohit Sharma and the way he led the side. He also praised how the players identified themselves with Rohit’s leadership.
Rahul Dravid Revealed ‘Standout Moment’ Of England Series
Rahul Dravid, while speaking to the broadcasters after the Indian side nullified England’s the visitors’ much-talked-about ‘Bazball’ and grabbed the five-match series 4-1, said:
“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 Praised R Ashwin
Further, Rahul Dravid said that India’s thrilling win came on the back of several shining moments but he highlighted that the return of Ravichandran Ashwin from a personal emergency underlined his commitment and character. He said:
“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.”
He added: “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,”
For the unversed, Ashwin had to leave for Chennai amidst the ongoing series because of a family emergency on the 2nd day of the Rajkot Test, but the veteran rejoined the action on the 4th day of the 3rd Test.
Rahul Dravid also opened up about the future of players like Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer, who have found themselves at the receiving end of criticism as they defied the BCCI diktat to play in Ranji Trophy. Eventually the duo was ignored by BCCI to present them with their central contracts. Speaking about this, Dravid said:
“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.
