‘Bazball’ will be put to test in Indian conditions: Dravid

Rahul Dravid revealed that KL Rahul will not be playing as wicketkeeper and his choice will be between two other wicketkeepers KS Bharat and Dhruv Jurel

Hyderabad: The England Test side has been making news with their new ultra-aggressive style of cricket ‘Bazball’ but Indian coach Rahul Dravid, who is impressed with their brand of cricket, expects the Indian condition to pose serious threat to the visitors in the upcoming five-match Test series.

Speaking ahead of India’s first Test against England in Hyderabad, beginning from Thursday, Dravid said, “They have been playing well. It is exciting to watch them. They had success playing like that. They did well in Pakistan and New Zealand. So they are playing cricket and we have to respect that. But it is going to be challenging for them in these conditions. We know these conditions well and we have experience in our attack. I am looking forward to seeing how our bowlers respond. I hope we respond strongly and positively.”

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He also backed Indian batters to take on the game. “I don’t think we are going out there to try to be ultra-attacking. I think we look to play what’s in front of us, what the situation demands. But by nature, if you look at our top six-seven batsmen, there are a lot of guys who are naturally positive and look to take the game on. There’ll be some different situations in which we may need to look to push the game along or we might have to bat for long periods. But I can’t see any of my batsmen taking a backward step or looking to be defensive,” Dravid said.

The 51-year-old also revealed that KL Rahul will not be playing as wicketkeeper and his choice will be between two other wicketkeepers KS Bharat and Dhruv Jurel. Indian batting mainstay Virat Kohli has chosen to skip the first two Tests due to ‘personal reasons’ and the coach said he will be missed. “Any team will miss the quality of Virat. No doubt he is a phenomenal player. He is a huge boost to the side. Having said that, it will present an opportunity to other players to step up and put in some performances.”

Though majority of England cricket team players didn’t have experience of playing in India, Dravid expects a tough series. “Even though they have not played in India, a lot of their players have travelled to these sub-continent countries. They did well in Pakistan and have many players playing in the IPL.” When asked about the Hyderabad wicket, he said, “It is hard to say. It looks good one. It may spin during the course of the game but not sure how quickly,” he added.

Meanwhile, England fast bowler Mark Wood felt India have quality batters despite the absence of Kohli. “No doubt he is a great batter but India have quality lineup and whoever steps in should be also a quality player. India has been consistent, covering all the bases. They have developed a winning habit.”

Wood said that they are raring to go after good preparations in Abu Dhabi. However, the pacer is aware of the challenge ahead in Indian conditions. “The conditions are obviously different here in India. The pitches might help spinners and also help seam bowling with bounce as was in the last World Cup. It is going to be hard, will try to get the ball reverse swing.”