Rahul Dravid
Former India skipper Rahul Dravid, who has nurtured many talents during his stint as coach of the U-19 and India A side, said that he's getting 'unnecessary' credit for the performance of young guns in Australia.
Dravid had led the Indian team in 2016 and 2019 Under-19 World Cup, which featured Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, Shubman Gill and Prithvi Shaw. Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini, Hanuma Vihari, and Mayank Agarwal have worked with Dravid as part of the India A team.
Dravid was hailed by many former players including Wasim Jaffer and Inzamam-ul-Haq for providing the national side with 'match-ready' youngsters. Also known as the 'The Wall' due to his resilient batting shows for India, Dravid said that the boys deserve all the praise for their exploits Down Under.
“Ha, ha unnecessary credit, the boys deserve all the praise,” said Dravid in an interview with the Indian Express.
The Indian team, led by Pant's match-winning knock on the final day, defied history to breach Australia's fortress -- The Gabba. The Ajinkya Rahane-led side registered back-to-back Test series wins in Australia.
Gill notched up a brilliant 91 before Pant slammed an unbeaten 89 to steer the visitors across the finishing line. Pujara, who took several blows, provided resistance in the middle with his 211-ball 56. In the end, Pant hit it to the long-off boundary for a winning four.
Inzamam, the former Pakistan skipper, also heaped praise on Dravid's role in the development of players like Pant, Gill and Siraj.
"This journey from Under-19 to India A, and from India A to the national team, I realised that the guys improved their base through none other than Rahul Dravid. Dravid's strength...the reason why he was called 'The Wall' is because he had a strong defence.
He could play in every condition, was mentally so strong that he could adjust himself in any position. Dravid worked with these players to make them mentally tough," said Inzamam in a video posted on his Youtube channel.
