Rahul Dravid believes that while the result of the second Test may seem one-sided, India were tested throughout the series.
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Team India head coach Rahul Dravid hailed the performance of the youngsters in the Indian setup, in the recently concluded Test series against New Zealand. The Indian team pulled off a triumph by a 1-0 margin in the two-match Test series against the Black Caps. Dravid sounded very pleased after the series win, hailing the players for making their presence felt.
“Good to finish the Test series on a winning note, came very close in Kanpur, but couldn’t take that last wicket. Credit to the team, they have pulled themselves back from tough situations, and were a bit disappointed at not finishing it off in Kanpur. Good to see the boys step up and take their opportunities, we were missing a few seniors, but the youngsters have taken their chances. Jayant (Yadav) found it difficult yesterday, but came up well this morning,” he said as quoted by Cricinfo.
Dravid hailed the performances of players like Mayank Agarwal, Axar Patel, Shreyas Iyer who have not enjoyed a lot of game time in the longest format of the game.
“A lot of these guys don’t get the opportunity to play a lot (of Test cricket), but it’s nice to see them do well, especially the likes of Shreyas Iyer, Mayank Agarwal, Axar Patel and Jayant. That gives us a lot of choices opening up when the seniors do return. We didn’t need to think about it (about a possible declaration), we had a lot of time and we knew we could bowl them out. Also, a lot of youngsters needed the chance to bat in challenging conditions – to play on red-soil wickets, with this kind of bounce, it’ll only help them grow as players, especially when they travel and play in different conditions,” he said.
“We knew we had enough time to bowl them out once again. It’s a good situation to be in (on team selection), we had some injuries in the lead-up to this game, that’s something which will challenge us. The boys are playing a lot of cricket, in different formats, and we need to ensure the work load on them. But everyone is challenging for places, that’s good to see with the amount of cricket coming up. But it is a good headache to have,” concluded Dravid with a flourish.
Team India skipper Virat Kohli became the first player to record 50 wins in each format of international cricket, following the Indian team’s triumph in the second Test against New Zealand. Kohli-led Team India wrapped up proceedings early on Day 4 of the Wankhede Test against the Black Caps, to pull off a comprehensive win by a margin of 372 runs. The hosts have now recorded their 14th consecutive Test series triumph at home, which is certainly commendable, to say the least. The margin of 372 runs further represents Team India’s biggest victory by margin of runs in the longest format of the game.
