The Indian head coach Rahul Dravid has refused to give any clarifications over the recent captaincy controversy that has rocked Indian cricket. After BCCI removed Virat Kohli as the ODI captain of India, Kohli came out and said he had no prior information of his sacking, which didn’t amuse the top BCCI administration.
While the BCCI has not responded to it yet publicly, Kohli was not sent for the pre-match press conference today on the eve of the Boxing Day test match. It was Rahul Dravid who addressed the press on the eve of the game and played down the question of the change in captaincy.
According to Dravid, changing the captaincy of the ODI team and having two different captains for red ball and white ball was a decision which was made by the selectors. He might or might not have had any “internal conversations” regarding that, but even if he had any internal conversation, he won’t reveal it.
Rahul Dravid:
That's the role of the selectors. I am not going to come publicly and start telling people what conversations I have had internally.#SAvIND
— Subhayan Chakraborty (@CricSubhayan) December 25, 2021
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Dravid also refused to announce India’s playing XI a day before the test match, a tradition which was started by the previous coaching staff of India, headed by Ravi Shastri. India had announced their playing XI a day before the World Test Championship final (WTC)
However, it doesn’t seem to be something which will be continued under Dravid’s regime. India’s new head coach made it very clear that he doesn’t see any need for the playing XI to be announced 24 hours before the game.
Ajinkya Rahane is in good mental space: Rahul Dravid
Talking about India’s thought process ahead of the start of the series, Dravid said India will have to be at their best collectively, and it’s not just about the performance of one or two players. The team has got a lot of experienced players, but it has to be a collective effort.
Dravid also hinted that India’s former vice captain Ajinkya Rahane, who was dropped for the Mumbai test match against New Zealand, might be given another opportunity on the ongoing South Africa tour. The head coach insisted Rahane has been training well and has been in a good frame of mind.
Rahul Dravid on Ajinkya Rahane:
AdvertisementConversations with Ajinkya Rahane has been very positive. He has practised really well. He seems to be in good space#SAvIND
— Subhayan Chakraborty (@CricSubhayan) December 25, 2021
It, however, remains uncertain yet if the new Indian team management is thinking about picking an extra specialist batsman in the playing XI, or they will continue with the philosophy of the previous team management, which always played 5 specialist bowlers in the overseas test matches.
