IND vs IRE: Team India Coach Rahul Dravid Sees Positives In Debutants' Performances During T20I Series Against West Indies

Team India head coach Rahul Dravid highlighted the performances of the three debutants as positive signs from the five-match T20I series against the West Indies. Rahul Dravid stated that young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal replicated his success from the IPL in international cricket.

Tilak Varma and Mukesh Kumar made their debuts in the first match of the recently concluded T20I series, while Yashasvi Jaiswal was included in the playing XI during the third game. Mukesh Kumar was handed a national team cap in all three formats during the same tour.

Tilak Varma Was Really Good – Rahul Dravid

Speaking at a press conference following the fifth T20I, Rahul Dravid reflected on the performance of  Tilak Varma, stating that he contributed to the team in all three departments.

“I think all the three guys who made their debuts for us in this series stood up. Yashasvi Jaiswal, in that fourth game, he played a really good innings at the top of the order. He showed his ability. He’s shown us what he can do in the IPL and it was nice for him to be able to replicate that on the international scene.”

“Tilak Varma was really good. To come in the middle-order and sometimes in quite difficult situations, but every time he played with a lot of intent, played very positively, looked to move the game along. He fielded brilliantly throughout the series, showed us that he can bowl one or two overs as well, so really positive signs from Tilak.”

Varma finished as India’s leading run-getter in T20Is, smashing 173 runs in five matches at an average of 57.67 and a strike rate of 140.65. Jaiswal was named Player of the Match in the fourth T20I for his brilliant knock of 84 runs off 51 balls.

His Ability To Bowl At The Death – Rahul Dravid

The former Indian skipper lauded Mukesh Kumar’s ability to bowl the toughest overs, emphasizing he did well against the hard-hitting batters during the death overs.

“Mukesh as well. He debuted in all the formats in this series and I thought he acquitted himself really well. His ability to bowl at the death, sometimes he was called upon to bowl against some really big, powerful, hard-hitters and he acquitted himself well for someone who was just playing his fourth or fifth game,” he further added.

“So I think there’s some real good positives in the guys who made their debuts for us and hopefully they take confidence from the series and keep learning as they go forward. They’ll be going to Ireland and get a few more opportunities in the T20 format and I’m sure the more opportunities they get, they better they’ll be,” he concluded.

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma and Mukesh Kumar have been included in India’s squad for the three-match T20I series against Ireland, which is scheduled to be played between August 18 and 23 in Dublin.

Also read: ICC World Cup 2023: Ravichandran Ashwin Opines On India’s Batting Depth With Rahul Dravid Concerned