Rohit’s fitness? Ashwin or Jadeja? Extra batsman or bowler? Dravid says wait and watch

Written by Shamik ChakrabartyUpdated: June 30, 2022 1:09:33 pm

Heat is on and Rahul Dravid has started the mind games. Two days before the commencement of the fifth Test at Edgbaston, the Indian team head coach chose to give away nothing, ostensibly to keep the opponents on tenterhooks.

The buzz before Dravid’s press conference on Wednesday was Jasprit Bumrah’s elevation as stop-gap captain, in Covid-affected Rohit Sharma’s absence. The head coach was asked about the update on Rohit and whether Bumrah would be leading the side against England. “Update on Rohit is that he is monitored by our medical team and we still got 36 hours to go. He is not yet ruled out. He will have a test tonight and in the morning to see if he is available. Of course, he will have to return negative to play the Test,” Dravid said.

As regards to Bumrah leading the side, he passed the buck to the selection committee. “It’s better that the communication comes from official sources. Once we have some clarity on Rohit, they will take a decision.”

India’s Virat Kohli, left, stands with head coach Rahul Dravid during a training session ahead of the fifth cricket test match between England and India at Edgbaston in Birmingham, England, Wednesday, June 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)

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A question on Virat Kohli was met with a strong backing for the senior batsman. Kohli is 33 years of age and hasn’t scored an international hundred over the last two-and-a-half years. “He is probably in my opinion on the right side of 30. He is an incredibly fit guy. He is one of the most hard-working guys I have come across. His desire and his hunger, the whole attitude to looking after himself. The way he played the game at Leicestershire; batting in those conditions, going out there and scoring the kind of 50s-60s he did. And he was keen on playing our bowlers, batting against Bumrah and all of these guys. He is ticking all the right boxes,” Dravid said.

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He added: “Players go through these kinds of phases. It’s not so much about focusing on those three-figures. Even a 70 on a difficult wicket, when he played in Cape Town (against South Africa last winter), I thought that was a very good innings. He didn’t convert it to three-figures but it was a very good score. Obviously, a guy like him and the standards he has set, people only see a hundred as a success, but from a coach’s perspective, we want match-winning contributions from him, whether that’s a fifty or a sixty or a seventy. From our perspective, it’s not a lot of focus on three-figures.”

© The Indian Express (P) LtdFirst published on: 29-06-2022 at 09:58:57 pm Next Story

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