The coach of Team India Rahul Dravid believes that Virat’s Kohli absence should be used as a chance to other players and in series opener between England vs. India two matches it will happen.
Kohli however, has freed himself from the Indian squad for the first two games on personal grounds as explained in a statement released by BCCI. With how he performed during the Tests against South Africa and what with experience, it is a disappointment to home team on verge of series’ opener scheduled for Thursday.
On the other hand, Rahul Dravid told reporters how those in front of Kohli can fill it if he misses. He said:
“I think you know any team will miss the quality of a player of the Virat. There’s no doubt about it. You know, he’s a phenomenal player. His record speaks for him. On the field, his presence is a huge boost to the side. But having said that, I think, it just presents another opportunity for somebody else to be able to step up and to be able to put in some performances.”
Rahul Dravid
At the time of writing, India have failed to appoint a successor for Virat Kohli. But when Dravid clarified that the team management is not considering Rahul as a wicketkeeper, he could become an outright batsman batting at No. 4 replacing Kohli in the middle order.
Rahul Dravid on England’s Bazball ideology
Rahul Dravid is aware of England’s ultra-attacking ‘Bazball’ philosophy and how to catch the Indian team offguard. But he is completely confident in the Indian bowling, and they are familiar with playing conditions giving then an upper hand.
On this, Dravid said:
“It’s certainly been exciting to watch them play and they’ve had success playing like that. So why wouldn’t you play like that? But we know it’s going to be a challenge for them in these conditions as well. These are conditions that we know very well. We’ve got a lot of experience in our attack.”
Rahul Dravid
Rahul Dravid is excited by England’s potential attack on India and wants to watch how Rohit Sharma and his team respond. It would be intriguing to watch if Ben Stokes and his team can maintain their aggressive style of cricket if they face a rank-turner in Hyderabad.