We are always looking at new talents, says Rahul Dravid
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Chief Coach for India Under-19 and India A side, Rahul Dravid has revealed that they are always in search of new talents who could be prospered. He also said that the support staff and his work is to present young talents with new opportunities and to cater to the requirements of the national team.
Dravid's appointment at the helm of India's U-19 side and the India A team was undertaken with a vision of helping young players through their transition phaseĀ from the junior squad to the senior national team. And the former Indian player has done the job brilliantly, taking the U-19 side to World Cup victory earlier this year.Ā
With players like Prithvi Shaw, Shubhman Gill, Shivam Mavi,Ā and many others successfully making the transition both mentally and physically, Dravid has now stressed on the significance of molding the mental state of players in their initial stage.
āWinning and losing is just a part at this level and not the be all and end all. Our job is to give opportunities to young talents. We want to know the requirements of the national team and think of providing that. We have players coming from the national team and we have to give them opportunities as well. Sometimes we are looking to rotate the squad so that everyone gets a chance to play. We are always looking at new talents. So, it's exciting that we have organized a quadrangular series and there will be 30 new players on show,ā Dravid told TOI.
As a former player, DravidĀ has been fully aware of the significance of starting as a youngĀ talent and then feeling the pressure once the career starts blooming. Mohammed Siraj has been around the block since 2017 when he broke into the fore from the Sunrisers Hyderabad camp. The unknown talent was suddenly thrown into the limelight after becoming anĀ IPL sensation in 2017-18, and Dravid knew exactly what would be the step forward.
āTo get 25 wickets in the last three game here is terrific. It's his maturity that stands out. He is someone who has played very less first-class matches. He hasn't really been a part of the system and hasn't played much junior cricket either. So he is learning all the time. Even in white ball cricket, I won't be too harsh on him because he hasn't played that much, maybe a little bit of IPL, he had one good season and then he was in and out. It's been great to give him the chance to perform. He has been bowling in much better areas and he has grown better physically,ā Dravid said.
He also threw some light on Mayank Agarwal and Prithvi Shaw's chances of making it to the senior national team and on Yuzvendra Chahal playing red ball cricket.
āAll I will say is, I think they have shown over the last year or so with their performances that they are playing very good cricket. It's nice to see them developing and growing as players. Whether there is an opportunity or not is not for me to decide,ā he said.
āChahal has had a lot of success in white ball cricket. But we wanted to give him opportunity to showcase how he does in red ball cricket. It's about what he can do in red ball cricket and that's what really āAā team is about. We are here to supplement and do what is best to make the Indian team stronger,ā he added.
