'He Should Be Rushed To Australia'- Dilip Vengsarkar Calls Out BCCI To Send Veteran Batsman To Australia To Aid The Indian Batting

Former Indian cricketer Dilip Vengsarkar has suggested the Sourav Ganguly-led Board of Control for Cricket in India [BCCI] to immediately send former Indian No.3 and the current head of the National Cricket Academy [NCA], Rahul Dravid, Down Under to join the beleaguered Indian team in Australia in the wake of the visitor’s horrific collapse in the second innings of the Adelaide Test.

Indian batting reached its nadir on Saturday after Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins knocked over the famed batting-unit for their lowest-ever Test total [36] in their history.

With the NCA not in operation currently due to Covid, Dilip Vengsarkar suggested that Rahul Dravid should be immediately sent Down Under as he feels that nobody can guide the deflated batting-unit better than the former Indian ‘Wall’

“The BCCI must rush Dravid to Australia to help the team. No one can guide the batsmen better on how to play the moving ball in those conditions. His presence will be a huge boost to the Indian team in the nets. In any case, the NCA has been shut due to Covid for the past nine months, leaving him with little to do,” Dilip Vengsarkar told TOI on Saturday.

“The Board can make a better use of Dravid by utilising his services to help the national team, which will be without skipper Virat Kohli from now (last three Tests).” he added.

In the past few years, the BCCI has been keen to include Rahul Dravid in the national set-up. The BCCI was keen to appoint Dravid as the head coach of the Indian team back in 2016 but the former captain reportedly turned down the offer and instead went on to lead the U-19 and A sides. Then in 2017, the Cricket Advisory Committee [CAC] led by former cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, and Sourav Ganguly decided to appoint Dravid as a batting consultant for overseas tours.

However, Ravi Shastri’s choices of the support-staff took precedence and that was the end of that.

Reacting to Indian batsmen’s shambolic display on the third day at the Adelaide Oval, Dilip Vengsarkar said that poor footwork and shot-selection played a huge part in the visitor’s demise. He, however, heaped high praise on Australian bowlers, who probed away with nagging line and lengths. With the next three Tests set to take place with the red ball, Dilip Vengsarkar is, however, hopeful, that Indian batsmen with fare better than they did in the first Test.

“I agree that the Aussies bowled a nagging line and length, but in Test match cricket, that is expected. The Indian batsmen, on their part, didn’t apply themselves and showed poor footwork and shot-selection. I guess India will breathe more freely with the red ball.” he added.

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