“The BCCI must bring Dravid to Australia to help the team. No one can better guide hitters on how to play the ball in motion under these conditions. His presence will be a great boost for the Indian team on the networks. In any case, the NCA has been closed due to Covid for the past nine months, leaving it with little to do, “Vengsarkar told TOI on Saturday.
“The Board can make better use of Dravid by using his services to help the national team, which will be without a patron virat Kohli from now on (last three tests) “.
“Even if he has to serve a mandatory two-week quarantine period, he should be available to help the Indian team on the networks before the third test in Sydney, which will start on January 7,” Vengsarkar said.
In 2003, Dravid was the hero of India’s memorable victory in the four wicket event in Adelaide, with 233 and 72 not out. In four rounds in that series, ‘The Wall’ scored 619 runs with an average of 123.8, with three fifty-one hundred to his credit.
Overall in 16 rounds in Australia, Dravid has scored 1,166 runs, averaging 41.64.
Over the years, the feeling has grown at BCCI that Dravid needs to be involved with the national team during tours both at home and abroad, and even more so at a time when there is virtually no job pressure in the NCA. .
Recently, the BCCI was forced to fire several NCA coaches during the pandemic for lack of work. The likes of Rohit Sharma, Ishant Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha and Hardik Pandya have all been to the NCA for rehab, but Dravid’s physical presence has hardly mattered in his recovery.
“It is time that Dravid was asked to get more involved with the Indian team,” said Vengsarkar, who was a former national coach.
In 2017, as head of the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), Ganguly wanted Dravid to become the hitting advisor to the Indian team, while Shastri became the head coach. However, Shastri’s choice of his own support staff was preferred.
Recently, the head of the Committee of Administrators (CoA) Vinod Rai had revealed that his committee had approached Dravid for the role of head coach, but the 47-year-old turned down the position.
Vengsarkar felt that Indian hitters would do much better in the rest of the series, which will now be played with the red ball.
“I agree that the Australians threw an annoying line and length, but in the cricket test match, that’s to be expected. The Indian hitters, meanwhile, did not apply themselves and showed poor footwork and shot selection. I suppose India will breathe more freely with the red ball. ”
.
