IND vs AUS, 2nd Test: 'You need talent, but you need a lot of other things' - Dravid on Pujara's 100th Test

Himself an epitome of resilience and longevity, India's head coach Rahul Dravid was all praise for senior batter Cheteshwar Pujara, who is set to complete a coveted milestone of 100 Tests during the second game against Australia, starting Friday. Pujara, who has spent 13 years in international cricket, with 7,000 plus runs and 19 centuries under his belt, is the 13th Indian cricketer to achieve the feat.

"It is a big achievement for any player. Yes, you need talent, but you need many other things. It's a reflection of your longevity and many other things. Your fitness, your resilience, ability to handle success and failure," Dravid, who has the second highest number of Test caps for India (164), said on Wednesday.

When a player is around for a decade and a half at the highest level, he faces many questions on and off the field, and Dravid feels that the man from Rajkot has handled them with aplomb. "When you play 100 games, it's possible that you have yet to see ups and downs. It would help if you cleared obstacles, bore the pain when you were down, and played different kinds of bowling. Various questions are asked on and off the field," he noted.

"To play 100 Tests, you need a minimum of ten years, and he has played for 13-14 years. It is a tribute to his skill, but so many other things are also there," the coach said. Knowing what the dressing room feels about a person is often more important than the outside world's perception.

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"He is a top-rated player. We are all so happy that he has got this opportunity to play 100 Tests, and he will do well in future also, not just in this game. In the last ten years, Cheteshwar Pujara has played some critical knocks for the country, which has won us matches and series. We are happy to celebrate this moment with him," the coach added.

Shreyas Iyer would "walk back" into India playing eleven if he can take a load of a five-day Test, as he deserves a spot in the side after playing some under-pressure knocks recently, head coach Rahul Dravid said on Wednesday. Iyer sustained a lower back injury during the white-ball series against Sri Lanka last month and had to undergo a one-month rehabilitation programme at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.

Iyer also missed the first Test against Australia, where Suryakumar Yadav made his debut. Dravid kept his cards close to his chest on whether Iyer was ready to take the rigours of the longest format. Still, he made an essential point about team management's philosophy: any performing player, if he comes back after injury, would automatically get his place back.

"It is always good to have somebody back from injury. We always like to avoid losing people to injuries, and it is never nice for a team. Nice for that individual, and glad that he [Iyer] is fit. We will take a call after a couple of training sessions," reckoned Dravid. After Thursday's second and final training session, Dravid and the team's medical support staff will assess Iyer's match fitness.

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"Today, he has done some training. We will assess it again tomorrow when he comes in for a light hit and see how he feels. But certainly, if he is ready to take the load of a five-day Test match, then without doubt, with his performances in the past, he will walk straight into the side," the head coach continued.

Iyer has not played any competitive game for 32 days, and getting into a Test match without real game time could also be a stretch on the body. However, Dravid has no hesitation in stating that a replacement player, even if he scores a hundred or takes five wickets, will have to sit out once the first-choice player is back from injury.

"Yeah, without being written in stone or rule, certainly, we value the contributions of people who have been there and missed out due to injury. They deserve the right to come back irrespective of what had happened when they were injured," asserted Dravid. Dravid said that it is not a "rule" but a convention or practice followed in his regime.

"I can't answer for everyone, but that is certainly the outlook of team management," he added. He then explained why he felt that Iyer was deserving. "Shreyas has played well, but what has stood out is his temperament in quite a few pressure situations since he has been around. Right through his debut game in Kanpur and in the last year and a half, every time he has been in challenging situations, he, Rishabh and Jadeja are the ones who have been bailing us out and playing those critical knocks," Dravid exemplified.

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"In Bangladesh, we were under pressure, and he bailed us out with Ashwin, and that's a good sign. Along with his skill of playing spin well, he spent a lot of time in domestic cricket before getting in. He understands how to get runs. But, at this level, what also counts is your ability to deal with pressure situations, that temperament and your ability to find solutions when you are under pressure. From the small sample size we have, he has been very good at that. He has been one of the better players, and he deserves it," Dravid added.

But Dravid remembered to mention that the same rule will apply to the replacement player if he gets injured. "The team understands well that if someone is replacing someone injured and if the person comes back, he will probably be back [in playing XI]. And it will be followed for him when he gets injured, and he will get the same treatment as well. On these tracks, counter-attacking is important," he wondered,

On these slowish Indian tracks, Dravid wants a delicate balance between counter-attack and defence, just like skipper Rohit Sharma showed during his splendid innings of 120 in Nagpur in the first Test against Australia. "We were fortunate to get a week in Nagpur. In the five sessions, there was a lot of quality and specific work, and all the boys felt that we went into the series with good preparation and many volumes behind us," the coach stated.

Asked about the importance of counter-attack on these tracks, Dravid said: "Sometimes on tricky wickets, different conditions, you need to play slightly differently. You have to strike a delicate balance between defence and being able to put the attack back on the opposition bowlers. Sometimes on wickets like these, if you sit around and cannot put that pressure back, it can build up to a point where you can lose two to three quick wickets. The ability to put pressure back on bowlers made the difference, and that's what Rohit did."

"He [Rohit] soaked in pressure on the opposition for some time, and whenever he got an opportunity, he put the pressure back on the opposition. That's what Axar and Jadeja did very well during that partnership. It is not the only way you can play, but in these conditions, being able to put pressure back is important," Dravid explained elaborately.

(With inputs from PTI)