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In the previous series against England in 2021 and against Australia last year, matches were played on rotating courts, resulting in most games being concluded within three days. However, the first two Tests of the ongoing series against England have been extended to four days. The Hyderabad pitch was slow, the surface in Vizag remaining relatively flat for most of the match.
Dravid constantly conducts inspections of the pitches before and during games, often between sessions. Sourav Gangulyhis long-time teammate, has commented that India, which possesses a well-balanced bowling attack, does not necessarily need to play with range-shifters.
When asked about the possibility of finding more Vizag-like launches in the next three tests, Dravid expressed uncertainty and stated that like anyone else, he is not aware of such information.
“The curators do the pitches. We don’t ask for range changes. Obviously, the tracks in India would spin, how much will they spin, how much less will they spin, how much. I’m not an expert, obviously, wickets in In India, over the course of four or five days, they change, but how much are they going to change?
“Sometimes they tell me they will turn it on on the third day, but they turn it on on the first day. Sometimes they tell me they will turn it on on the second day and they don’t turn it on until the fourth day,” Dravid said.
“So sometimes I’m as clueless as anyone else. We look at the wicket and try to do the best we can with what we have. We go to Rajkot, see what we can get and play with what we have in front of us.”
The Indian batsmen have been guilty of wasting their starts in the series. There were three 80s in the first game of the series and only Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill played big knocks in Vizag while others failed to capitalize on their starts.
Dravid said India could have scored more runs in both innings and expects more consistency from the younger generation.
“If I’m honest, I think we left a few runs on the board in both innings. Again, I think that’s maybe a function of the fact that we’ve got a lot of young batsmen, I think we’re still figuring out Test cricket a little bit, but you don’t have much time to discover test cricket.
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“Certainly in the first innings, 396, I thought, they didn’t have enough power, we left 75 on the board. If you win a toss, you have a guy who gets double a hundred. You should be pushing 475-450 in these conditions.
“And then in the second innings, maybe after losing a couple of wickets, 250 was probably even. So, it’s a work in progress. Hopefully we’ll improve a little bit and keep improving,” the coach said. .
‘England batting is not a wild job’
Dravid praised England’s super-aggressive batting approach, also known as Bazball, and said he always expected a tough series. Both teams enter the third Test in Rajkot at 1-1.
“They (England) are playing very well. Whether you call it bazball or whatever you call it. I’m not sure how happy they are about it, but they are playing very good cricket. Let’s be honest, they played well, “I have shown good skills. It’s not like a wild job,” Dravid said.
“They’re actually showing some pretty good skills. Some of the shots they make require a lot of skill and skill. You can’t just come in and execute those things and just say, well, I want to play offensively and not have to play.” the skills to execute it.
“So I think there’s more to it than just attacking cricket. I’ve seen at times that they know when to back off, when to attack. So they’re playing a little bit differently, no doubt, but they’ve been very successful and they’re playing well. “We know we are up against the challenge and we are looking forward to it,” he stated.
‘Gill’s work ethic is exemplary’
The head coach was happy for Shubman Gill, who returned to the runs with a good hundred in the second innings. It was his first 50-plus score in 13 innings and also the first time he recorded big runs at number three.
“He (Gill) came into the Test match under external pressure, internally we have a lot of confidence in Shubman. We know his class and his ability. We have seen what a good player he has been. Even in this bad patch. Actually, he is the one who gave us he got 100 in Chittagong and 100 in Ahmedabad, so we know that quality.
“As a young player from whom a lot is expected, he felt the pressure. I am very happy with the way he interpreted that image. It took a lot of pressure from him at various times. He is someone who is desperate to succeed in all three formats of the game. “
In Virat Kohliof availability for the Rajkot Test, Dravid left that to the selectors. Kohli missed the first two matches due to personal reasons.
“It’s best to ask for selectors once the team is selected for the next three games. I’m sure they are the best people to answer that.”
(With input from PTI)