Samit, son of Rahul Dravid, to miss India U-19’s Youth Tests against Australia
Samit is currently at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), recovering from a knee injury that had also kept him out of the three-match Youth One-Day series against Australia.
Published : Sep 30, 2024 12:13 IST , CHENNAI - 2 MINS READ
FILE PHOTO: Rahul Dravid’s son Samit pictured during the men’s U-19 Inter-NCA One Day tournament on June 1. | Photo Credit: VIJAY SONEJI / THE HINDU
Samit Dravid will miss the India U-19’s two-match Youth Test series against Australia, the first of which began on Monday at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Samit is currently at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), recovering from a knee injury that had also kept him out of the three-match Youth One-Day series against Australia.
India completed a 3-0 whitewash in the said limited-overs series in Puducherry last week.
Speaking about the development, head coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar said, “He’s at the NCA, recovering from his knee injury. We don’t know his current status, but it looks unlikely that he will be part of the squad.”
Former India skipper and head coach Rahul Dravid’s son, Samit, who will turn 19 on October 11 this year, will be ineligible to take part in the 2026 U-19 World Cup, set to happen in Zimbabwe and Namibia.
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Kanitkar emphasised on the importance of playing red-ball cricket at the U-19 level for the development of players. “It’s a great initiative to play Test matches because red-ball cricket really tests you. There’s enough time for bowlers to plan and make strategies. For batters, bowlers, and even fielders, it’s the ideal challenge to see where you stand,” he said.
“Playing against a foreign side at the U-19 level really helped a lot of us, myself included, and it will be a magnificent experience for the players,” he added.
Kanitkar also praised the squad’s depth without singling out any individual player. “There’s a lot of talent in this team, both in terms of batting and bowling. Any one of them could step up and deliver, and that’s a very promising sign for us,” Kanitkar said.
The second Youth Test is scheduled to begin on October 7 at Chepauk.