Mumbai, Dec 6 : India head coach Rahul Dravid said on Monday that it was good to see the players stepping up to take responsibilities in the series against New Zealand.
He added that the youngsters grabbed their chances in the absence of senior players.
India wrapped up the two-match Test series with a huge 372-run win over New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday.
“Good to finish the Test series on a winning note, came very close in Kanpur, but couldn’t take that last wicket.They have shown resilience in difficult situations and were disappointed not to finish 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,” said Dravid in a chat with broadcasters after the match.
Talking further about the youngsters doing well in the Test series, Dravid remarked, “Jayant (Yadav) found it difficult yesterday, but came up well this morning.Many of these guys don’t get the chance to play Test cricket a lot, but it’s nice to see them succeed, especially Jayant, Mayank Agarwal and Axar Patel.This gives us many options when the seniors return.”
Dravid threw light on reasoning behind not enforcing the follow-on despite skittling out New Zealand for a paltry 62 in the first innings.
“We didn’t need to think about it.We had plenty of time and knew we could bowl them out.Many youngsters needed to have the opportunity to bat in difficult conditions.This includes playing on red-soil wickets with this bounce.
It will only help them as players, especially when they travel or play in different environments.We knew we had enough time for them to be out again.”
The 48-year-old signed off by saying that having plenty of options is a good headache to have in terms of selecting the playing eleven.
“It’s a good situation to be in.It was difficult because we had some injuries leading up to the game.We need to make sure they are putting in the effort.
With the amount of cricket on the horizon, everyone is competing for their places.It is a headache, but it is worth it.”
India’s next assignment is a tour of South Africa for three Tests and as many ODIs starting from December 26.
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