Coach Dravid talks about 'challenge' of playing WTC final against Australia right after IPL
India has made it to the ICC World Test Championship Final, which will be held from June 7, right after IPL 2023. Head coach Raul Dravid has opined on the challenges of playing it right after the tiring T20 league.
FollowPlaying the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2021-23 Final against Australia within one week of the Indian Premier League's (IPL's) conclusion is going to be a considerable challenge, India head coach Rahul Dravid said on Monday. Former Indian skipper Virat Kohli slammed his first Test century in more than three years after young opener Shubman Gill's sparkling 128, as India responded strongly to Australia's stiff first innings total of 480 to draw the fourth and final Test and clinch the Border-Gavaskar series 2-1 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Just before the post-lunch session on the final day, news trickled in that Kane Williamson's magnificent hundred sealed New Zealand's thrilling two-wicket win over Sri Lanka in Christchurch, paving the way for India's march to their second successive WTC final. Terming it a "challenge", the Indian head coach said they would have to plan it out properly.
"We just qualified at lunchtime today. I wasn't counting my chickens before they hatched. We'll celebrate this for starters. It is going to be a challenge. There will be a lot of logistics involved, given the IPL final is only a week before the WTC final. We'll think about it," Dravid said after the Test match.
The WTC final will be played at The Oval in London from June 7-11, while the IPL ends on June 1. Regarding the Test series against Australia, Dravid was most impressed by the Indian team's ability to fight back from complicated situations. "Whenever we were under pressure with our backs to the wall, we had to respond, and we always found that. It's one of the heartening things about coaching this team," Dravid told the official broadcaster.
"Rohit led the way in the first Test with a brilliant hundred, and it was bookended by Virat Kohli's brilliant 186. In the middle, we had performances from [Ravichandran] Ashwin, [Ravindra] Jadeja, Axar [Patel], and Shubman [Gill] there. I've missed out on a few. I think our fight stood out," added Dravid.
India won the first two Tests in Nagpur and Delhi, while Australia pulled one back in Indore as each of the series' first three matches lasted two and a half days on spiteful turning tracks. But, the pitch on offer for the series-deciding fourth Test was good for batting as Australia made full use of winning the toss to post a big total with centuries from Usman Khawaja (180) and Cameron Green (114).
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"It was a hard-fought series. There were moments when an excellent cricket team put us under extreme pressure, and we responded. We found it whenever we needed someone to step up and perform a special performance," assumed Dravid.
Jadeja gives me freedom to be creative: Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja shared the Player-of-the-Series award. Veteran off-spinner Ashwin finished with 25 wickets and also scored 86 runs in the series, while left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder Jadeja accounted for 22 wickets and scored 135 runs with one half-century.
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"It's been a great journey together. We wouldn't be the same without the other. He [Jadeja] gives me much freedom to be creative on the field with the ball. Credit to him. I thought he bowled beautifully in the Delhi Test. That's why we're here," Ashwin said. Jadeja said they have great chemistry on the field and always keep discussing the game.
"We're always talking about the wicket, what field we should have to particular batters. We're always talking and discussing," commented Jadeja. Jadeja, however, added he could have scored more runs. "I'm not happy with my batting in the series. I missed it on a few occasions. Especially in this game... Hopefully, I'll work harder and be more focused on my batting for the next series," he concluded.
(With inputs from PTI)
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