VISAKHAPATNAM: INDIA may have levelled the series but they go to a three-match shoot-off with several unanswered questions. Would the pitches going forward have some more spice in them? What of KS Bharat, who hasn’t delivered with the bat. Could Virat Kohli join the team at Rajkot for the third game? Coach Rahul Dravid answered some of these queries in the post-match press conference. Excerpts:
On if he is disappointed by Bharat’s performances & is there a way back for Ishan
Disappointed is a strong word. Young players take time to develop at times. They grow at their own pace. Yeah, as a coach you want players to grab the opportunities. His keeping has been good, he will also agree that his batting could have been better. There is a way back for everyone. I don’t want to go on labouring about the Ishan Kishan point.
He had requested a break, we were happy to give him the break. Whenever he was ready, I didn’t say he has to play domestic cricket, I said ‘whenever he is ready, he needs to play some cricket and come back’. The choice is his. We are not forcing him to do anything, we are in touch with him, it is not that we have not been in touch. He has not yet started playing right so at the moment it is not something we can consider. But we are happy with the way KS has kept.
On the pitches for the series
Curators make the pitches man. We don’t ask for rank turners. Obviously tracks in India would spin; how much they will spin, how less they will spin... I sometimes get told they will turn on the third day, they turn on the first day. Sometimes I get told they will turn on the second day and they don’t turn till Day Four. So I’m sometimes as clueless as anybody else. We look at the wicket and we try to do the best we can on what we get. We go to Rajkot, we’ll see what we can get and play with whatever we get in front of.
On Shubman Gill
He came into the Test match under pressure externally. Internally, we have a lot of confidence in Shubman. We know his class and his ability, We’ve seen it. We’ve seen how good a player he’s been even in this lean run. He’s actually the one who got us a 100 at Chittagong. He got 100 in Ahmedabad. So we know that quality. But of course, I mean, as a young player from whom a lot is expected, I think obviously he did feel the pressure.
On Kohli’s availability
I think it’s best to ask selectors once the team will be selected for the next three games. I’m sure they’re the best people to answer that. We’ll get to that. I’m sure there’ll be a selection over the next few days.
On finding balance between positive intent & consistency
... when you want people to play a little bit positively, then you have to accept at times that people will make mistakes, right? If you want people to play with a little bit of intent and play a little bit positively, then you’re going to have to accept a few mistakes. But for us, for me, it’s not so much about... just about reading the game and the game situation. I think it’s about understanding. Are we making the right decisions -- when to put pressure, or are we recognizing that this is a moment where we need to soak in pressure a little bit and maybe be a little bit more conservative rather than attack all out?
England head to UAE before rajkot match
The visitors will head back to Abu Dhabi for a short break with their families before regrouping for the third Test in Rajkot. It’s understood the squad will leave India on February 7 before coming back a few days before the game. The Indian squad for the third Test is expected to be announced in a day or so. They, like the tourists, are expected to assemble a few days before the start of the Test.