Ajinkya Rahane Opens Up About The Role Played By Rahul Dravid In Team India's Success Down Under

Indian vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane and the leader of the team that scripted a triumph for the ages in Australia has credited former captain and the current head of the National Cricket Academy Rahul Dravid for the Men in Blue’s historic Test series win Down Under.

Despite missing a plethora of first-choice cricketers including skipper Virat Kohli, India pulled off a memorable heist in Australia as they scripted their second successive Test series Down Under.

Each and every youngster, whether it was Mohammed Siraj, Shubman Gill, Shardul Thakur or Washington Sundar made full use of the opportunity and came up with impactful performances throughout the Test series.

Following the Test series win, Indian bench-strength has been rightfully hailed as the best in the world and former India A and U-19 coach Rahul Dravid has been widely credited for the role that he has played in preparing the next generation of Indian superstars.

Opening up 0n the role that Rahul Dravid has silently played behind Team India’s success, Ajinkya Rahane, in a recent interview with the Indian Express said:

“I think Rahul bhai’s role was massive. We used to go to NCA before lockdown and if a guy like Rahul Dravid is there, you learn something every day.” said Rahane.

“Rahul bhai plays a very big role. He was with the Under-19 team, then he was with India A, and now he is with the National Cricket Academy. (The system) has helped Mohammed Siraj, Saini. They have been on their toes and they did so well. Shubman Gill also, Mayank Agarwal. Before joining international cricket, he did so many tours with India A, got runs at the domestic level.” he added.

Ajinkya Rahane has always been compared with Rahul Dravid due to his cool and calm demeanor. Rahane has always claimed himself to be a huge Dravid fan. The Mumbai cricketer admitted that he remains in constant touch with Dravid over the phone besides revealing that the former Indian skipper had messaged him post the win in Melbourne and also after the series-winning heist at the Gabba.

“We talk over the phone, exchange messages. He messaged me after the Melbourne match and immediately after the Brisbane match, saying how proud he was of the team.” he said.

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