Rahul Dravid Weighs In On Matthew Wade's Statement That He Won't Sledge Virat Kohli & Co In The Upcoming Series

Rahul Dravid, former Indian captain, has weighed in on Australian middle-order batsman Matthew Wade’s remarks with regards to sledging Virat Kohli and the Indian Cricket team when the two sides lock horns in a four-match Test series later this year.

Matthew Wade has had his fair share of verbal altercations with Virat and co in the past. And, the Australian wicket-keeper seems to have learned his lessons. Wade recently said that he would not try and engage in verbal duels with the Indian superstar or his teammates as he feels that it might spur them on.

“He sort of lives for it, he loves the fight, he loves the contest. He’s pretty competitive and aggressive as it is. You don’t want to get him more aggressive, I don’t know how more he can get,” Rahul Dravid said on ‘Sony Ten Pit stop’ show.

Rahul Dravid never got embroiled in a verbal tussle; he let his bat do all the talking for him. And, so no wonder he believes that the verbal stuff does not really affect players as at the end of the day, it all boils down to your skill-set.

“In the end, a lot of this stuff does not really affect players. In the end, it’s a contest. They know they have to be at the top of their games. The skills have to be top class. They want to compete against someone like Virat. Virat also knows he has to be at top of the game if he wants to perform against the likes of Cummins, Starc, Pattinson, Hazlewood – that’s a pretty good attack. He knows that as well,” Rahul Dravid added.

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‘It’s about skills’- Rahul Dravid

India-Australia Test series have had their fair share of verbal altercations in the past but Dravid asserted that ultimately the team that executes its skill better will emerge as the winners.

“So, it’s not about words, it’ about the skills. It’s a skills game. The players will be looking to rely on his skills, and who can perform consistently over a long period of time in a Test match, and the team who does that will triumph,” he added.

“I think Wade is trying to say that they are going to focus on that skill – and if they get that right, then they can cause him a problem. If they get it slightly wrong, then we know what Virat could do,” Rahul Dravid further said.

India-Australia will lock horns in a four-match Test series later this day and tempers are expected to flare with both teams’ battling for supremacy.

Also Read: Matthew Wade Explains Why He Won’t Sledge India In Upcoming Test Series