Team India Head coach Rahul Dravid delivered a motivational speech after India’s stunning 4-1 win over the Ben Stokes-led England in the recently-concluded 5-match Test series. After India won the Ranchi Test by 5 wickets, they won the series, taking an unassailable 3-1 lead. On Saturday, India beat England by an innings and 64 runs in the 5th Test at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala as well. Meanwhile, Dravid, who has been at the helm of the Indian team since Ravi Shastri’s departure in 2021, applauded his team’s players for stepping up whenever needed.
“There were times in the series when we were really challenged. We were pushed, but we found a way to bounce back. It speaks to the skills, resilience and character that we have. And in many occasions in the series when the games could have gone either way, we always found people in the dressing room to step up and turn the game our way,” Dravid said in a video uploaded on BCCI’s social media. “Not only do we have to win games when we have to fight back, but you also have to win games when you are ahead, and you don’t let the opposition come back in any situation.”
However, Rahul Dravid also praised India for passing with flying colours after playing a long series against a quality opposition.
READ ALSO: Michael Vaughan praises Team India after series win over England
“Irrespective of whether we win or lose, this is going to teach us a lot. You are going to go through a lot of ups and downs in a 5-match series. It’s a long series and you are going to be tested. And it was going to teach us a lot about us as players, us as a team and lot about you people. And I think we have come through that exceptionally with flying colours. We have faced challenges both on and off the field, but the way we stuck together as a group has been absolutely phenomenal,” Rahul Dravid again said.
However, throughout the series, the likes of Dhruv Jurel, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan and Akash Deep made their debuts. Sarfaraz Khan smashed back-to-back fifties in the Rajkot Test while Jurel won the Player of the Match award in the Ranchi Test as well. Meanwhile, Akash Deep stepped up with the ball in Ranchi. Dravid also said that youngsters need to celebrate each other’s success.
“For a lot of young guys coming into this group, you are going to need each other to succeed. Whatever you are, your success is tied with other people’s success. And that’s really important going forward. As a young group, going forward, I hope that a lot of you will play together for a long time and help each other grow,” Rahul Dravid concluded. “Series like this has to be earned. Test cricket is hard, in terms of your skills, physically and mentally. But there is great satisfaction at the end of it. Winning a series from 0-1 down is phenomenal. There are going to be tougher challenges, as long as well stay tight as a unit, we will be fine.”
