Rahul... Avidly Making Teens Rise And Shine

The India-A and Under-19 players realise how fortunate they are to be able to tap into the vast reservoirs of wisdom nestling in the Rahul Dravid brain.

- R. Kaushik

Had prudence prevailed and egos not got in the way, there is every chance that India could have spared itself the embarrassing overseas Test batting displays that have been an unedifying feature this year.

When the Cricket Advisory Committee convened last year to button down the national head coach in the aftermath of Anil Kumble’s resignation, it recommended Ravi Shastri to that position. It also nominated Rahul Dravid as batting consultant for overseas Test matches, in addition to his twin responsibilities of coaching the India­A and the India Under­19 sides.

Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and V. V. S. Laxman were not working the Old Boys’ Club. They didn’t pull Dravid’s name out of a hat, or because they had shared a dressing room with him for nearly a decade and a half. In their collective wisdom — stemming from a combined 56 years of international cricket, 447 Test matches and nearly 32,000 Test runs — they recognised the value Dravid brings. The decisionmakers chose to overlook the CAC’s mandate; red faces aren’t out of order now.