IND vs ENG, 5th Test: Dravid lauds “deserving” debutants after series win against England

The Indian head coach said that keeping the youngsters encouraged and the dressing room relaxed were essential to help them perform freely in the series, which India won 4-1.

Dravid talked about the importance of exposure to cricket for youngsters now, comparing it to his playing days, stressing on how that helps in acclimatising with the pressure at the international stage. | Photo Credit: PTI

Five youngsters made their debuts for India in the just-concluded Test series against England, and most of them grabbed the opportunities with both hands.

While Akash Deep featured in just one game, Rajat Patidar missed out on the final Test due to injury after a series of below-par outings

On the other hand, Sarfaraz Khan, Devdutt Padikkal and Dhruv Jurel stamped their class in red-ball cricket and all the new entrants earned praise from head coach Rahul Dravid.

“It’s just nice to see the confidence of young India in some ways. Young boys who have a lot of confidence in their ability. There has been a lot of exposure and that certainly does help,” Dravid said.

“A lot of these boys, when I look at some of them who are 23, and the kind of exposure they’ve had [and compare that] to say, when I was 23, the first time I went to England, and the amount of cricket I had played – I had only played Ranji Trophy cricket and a few A tours here and there - and just the amount of exposure these young boys have, by the time they’re 22-23 certainly does help,” Dravid said, adding: “It makes them a lot more confident. They have a lot more belief in their abilities…”

Jurel played a crucial knock in the first innings of the fourth Test, which eventually helped India secure the series in Ranchi. | Photo Credit: K.R Deepak / The Hindu

From the coaching perspective, Dravid has tried to keep things relaxed in the dressing room.

“I do believe that it’s very hard to get into an Indian team. You have to really earn it. There’s a lot of competition, it’s tough to get into a 15 for India, so if you get into the 15, then you’ve earned the right to get into an Indian team, you deserve to be there,” he said.

“You’ll not be treated differently. Whether you’re playing your first match or whether you’re playing your 100th game, from the perspective of being treated in the dressing room and having a voice. If you are in the team, you belong in the team. That’s the kind of environment I like to create because I believe they’ve truly earned their right to be there…”

Dravid does make it a point to back the young guns to the hilt.

“It’s not possible to give everyone the same number of chances – you can’t put down a number and say I’ll give everyone 16 chances or 14 or three chances or four.

“It doesn’t work like that, but just the confidence that they’ll not be judged on each and every game maybe help. That’s the way I look at things…” he said.