IND vs ENG: It's A Series, WTC Points On The Line, Looking Forward To That - Rahul Dravid On One-Off Test Against England

Team India head coach Rahul Dravid is excited about the prospect of playing a Test match in England, also asserting the need to win the game with WTC points and a series at stake.

After the T20I series against South Africa, Dravid and co. will depart to England where the Test team is already preparing for the tour. India leads the series by a 2-1 margin with the last Test, scheduled to be played in Manchester last year, being postponed due to a covid scare.

“In terms of the Test match, it is obviously going to be exciting. For us, it is a one-off Test match, but it’s WTC points. It’s a series on the line for the guys who played a part in it [last year], and they are very keen to try and win that series and do well. So looking forward to that.”

“It is always lovely [to play] a Test match in England; the crowds are going to be fantastic. You expect really good crowds in England when you play Test cricket there. And England is playing really well at the moment. I mean they are playing really good cricket,” Dravid said in Bengaluru ahead of the departure.

“It’s probably a bit different to when we were there last year” – Rahul Dravid

Dravid is wary of the threat posed by the new-look England team, which has taken an unassailable 2-0 lead over current WTC champions, New Zealand. Since the last time India visited the UK, the ECB has made several changes none bigger than the appointment of Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes as the coach and captain duo.

“It’s probably a bit different to when we were there last year when England was probably a little bit on the back foot. But they have played a couple of good games [against New Zealand], and we have got a pretty good squad as well. Hopefully, it will be a good match. [I] love watching Test cricket, love playing it, love coaching it. Looking forward to it,” he also added.

The one-off Test will be played in Edgbaston starting from July 1. India is scheduled to play a 4-day practice game against Leicestershire ahead of the game.

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