Kamlesh Nagarkoti
Kamlesh Nagarkoti (Credits: IPLT20)

National Cricket Academy (NCA) head Rahul Dravid has groomed young talents as he looks over the India A and U-19 teams. Fast bowler Kamlesh Nagarkoti, who made heads turn with his fine performance in the U-19 World Cup, also learnt early ropes of cricket from Rahul Dravid. His coach Surendra Rathore said Dravid played a crucial role while Nagarkoti was dealing with back injury.

It was a massive setback for young Nagarkoti after he picked up a back injury soon after India’s U-19 World Cup triumph in 2018. He was picked up by KKR for INR 3.8 crore but had to wait till the ongoing season to make his IPL debut. His coach Rathore said that Dravid asked the cricket board to sent him to United Kingdom for treatment. Not only that. he kept on motivating the youngster during the tough time.

Rahul Dravid
Rahul Dravid. (Photo by Ashley Allen/Getty Images)

“It was Rahul Dravid who asked the BCCI to send Kamlesh to the UK for treatment. Moreover, every time they met while he was recuperating, Dravid used to motivate him, explaining how injuries are a part of a sportspersons’ life and one must learn from that experience and come out stronger,” Nagarkoti’s coach Surendra Rathore told Times of India.

“There were no major changes I suggested to him in his bowling. His action was getting a bit misaligned so we got that corrected. His landing foot was slightly across and his non-bowling arm was coming from inside. We worked on those. On alternate days he used to work on his batting as well where I used to set a target for him and gave throwdowns,” he added.

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Kamlesh Nagarkoti
Kamlesh Nagarkoti (Credits: Twitter)

Dravid has worked closely with young cricketers in his coaching career and relates a few things to them. National Cricket Academy (NCA) head Rahul Dravid has helped mould the India U-19 cricketers and India A players during his coaching stint.

In his coaching stint, Dravid has come across numerous players in the U-19 side or India A who think if they will ‘make it or not’. The batting legend often identifies with them as he has also went through a similar time at a young age.