ICC T20 World Cup 2022, IND vs BAN: 'We have supported Rahul for last one year' - Dravid

Under-fire Indian wicketkeeper-opener KL Rahul had head coach Rahul Dravid and skipper Rohit Sharma's unstinted support in "words and action" over the past year. Also, it will continue for the remainder of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022, Dravid verified on Tuesday. Rahul has managed just 22 runs in three contests, but Dravid said there is hardly any chance of replacing him at the top order. India takes on Bangladesh in the Super 12 at the Adelaide Oval on Wednesday.

"In words and actions over last year, Rohit and I have shown that we fully back KL. Not at all [any concerns regarding his form]. I think he is a fantastic player. He has got a proven track record. He has done well. He has been batting superbly, and these things can happen in a T20 game sometimes," said Dravid during the pre-match presser.

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"It has not been that easy for top-order batsmen [in this tournament]. He [Rahul] was superb in the practice game against Australia. It was a pretty good attack with Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, and I thought he batted superbly that day. I hope it all clicks together in the next three or four games. We know his quality, we know his ability, he is suited for these conditions, these pitches," added Dravid.

"He [Rahul] has got a good all-round game. He has a strong backfoot game which is very much required in these conditions. It's not difficult at all [to support Rahul] because we ignore what people are talking about outside. We have certain ideas in mind and certain beliefs in players. We played the game enough to know that people will go through ups and downs. We also understand the nature of Indian cricket," Dravid continued.

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On comparing Rahul's rough patch with Virat Kohli
"Once you have gone past Kohli and Kohli has got runs, who is the next guy? Then, if Rahul scores, run, and look around, who is the next guy? That's part of the job. I don't mean that in a derogatory manner, but that's the nature of the professional sport," sounded Dravid.

On high risk cricket in T20s
"Especially in this T20 format, which is such a high-risk format, you are asking people to play a high-risk brand of cricket and asking them to play a positive brand of cricket. We have always believed that we need to give them that confidence and backing," Dravid wondered.

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On if Rahul goes big from the start rather than be defensive
"In these conditions, we may be able to afford him [Rahul] at that time. We [he and Rohit] back entirely to him. We have no concerns about him. We know when he gets going, I know the impact this guy can make. And I saw it against a top-class attack [Australia] just a couple of weeks ago. In Rohit and my mind, there is no doubt that who will open for us," Dravid suggested.

'Karthik pulled up pretty well today'
Speaking on veteran wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik's chances versus Bangladesh after suffering back spasms against South Africa, Dravid recorded, "Yeah, he's pulled up pretty well today. It was unfortunate he had that spasm when he jumped to collect a bouncer. When he landed badly, he landed in a way that I think he just hurt his back a little bit."

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"But with treatment and the day -- this morning, he's pulled up pretty well. So we'll be assessing it. We'll see how it goes and how he pulls up tomorrow morning after a good practice session. We'll put him through his paces and ensure that we've given him a good workout and then see how he pulls up tomorrow morning before making a final decision," counted Dravid.

"Again, tough for someone like DK to assess how he's gone. I didn't get to play many games. He got one ball against Pakistan at that back end and didn't bat against the Netherlands. Thought he was building up a pretty good partnership with Surya at that stage," Dravid said in Karthik's defence.

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Kartik needs Suryakumar Yadav for some partnership
"We needed that little partnership to get stabilizers, and it just was set up for him, but again, that's the nature of this game. You play that high-risk shot, and you can get out on that shot, which is why people need to be supported and backed as much as we possibly can in these formats because you hardly -- sometimes people, especially in positions like DK's at 5 and 6, you don't get enough balls," Dravid evaluated.

"You don't get enough things, and when you have to go in, you have to deliver high-risk shots without having much time to settle in. Yeah, our belief has always been to back and support players in those positions, so that comes the critical time. Hopefully, they'll be in the right frame of mind to be able to play those crunch shots for us," assessed Dravid.

On Kohli's hotel room video
"It's disappointing. It's not very comfortable for anyone, let alone Virat. It isn't enjoyable. We have flagged it with the relevant authorities. They have taken action [staff fired]. Hopefully, people will be more careful because it's where you feel you are away from people's prying eyes and without the media glare on you and the photographs that all players have to deal with. It's the one place where you hope to feel secure and safe. If that's also taken away, it's not a nice feeling. He has dealt with it well. He is fine. He's here at training. He's perfect," Dravid concluded.

(With inputs from PTI)