Rahul Dravid gives an insight about India's approach against England in Hyderabad

India Head Coach Rahul Dravid has spoken on a variety of issues surrounding Indian cricket ahead of the first Test between India and England in Hyderabad. The Test series is a part of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25. 

Addressing the press conference ahead of the first Test in Hyderabad, Rahul Dravid gave an insight into how the Indian team will approach the Test series. The Indian team have been jolted early with Virat Kohli withdrawing from the first two Test matches. 

“So, they’re not going to be looking to change that in any particular way. 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 look to be defensive” said Rahul to the reporters. 

He further spoke about what is expected from the England team as an opposition. Their skipper Ben Stokes recently had knee surgery and is still recovering. Brendon McCullum sounded confident about his fitness however a final call will be taken before the match. Dravid expects England to come hard in this series. 

Also Read: Rahul Dravid defends ‘right on track’ Shubman Gill amid poor Test form

Rahul Dravid Expects England To Come Hard

“It’s been exciting to watch them play and you know they’ve had success playing like that. They’ve done well in Pakistan. They’ve won in New Zealand and they had a really exciting series against Australia in the Ashes as well. So, we have to respect that”.

“But we know that it’s going to be a challenge for them in these conditions because these are conditions we know very well. We’ve got a lot of experience in our attack. I’m looking forward to seeing how our boys respond, because I know that we will be put under pressure,” said Dravid.

Dravid sees this Test series as a good opportunity for the senior players to step up in this Test series. He said that the senior players can set an example for the younger generation to follow in this Test series. India are placed second on the WTC points table while England are seventh before the start of the first Test.

“So, it’s a really good opportunity for them over the course of the next five games to set some good markers as there is a lot of Test cricket (for us) over the next 12 to 18 months. It’s a really good opportunity for some of these young players, having had some taste of international cricket, to take the next steps. I’m interested to see how they go,” he detailed.

India will be aiming to replicate their recent home record against England in Tests, having defeated them 3-1 in 2020/21 and 4-0 in the 2016/17 series. A win in the home Test series against England will be a big achievement in India’s quest to win the ICC World Test Championship final. A test series win will help India attain the top position on the points WTC points table. 

With Virat Kohli out of the first two Test matches, the BCCI has not yet named a replacement. Dravid too said that his absence would be a big void but said nothing about the possible replacement. 

Also Read: ‘Will miss quality player Virat Kohli’ – Rahul Dravid’s honest admission