India vs Leicestershire: ‘It Really Helps You Adapt To English Conditions’- Rahul Dravid Happy With India’s Performance Against Leicestershire

India team head coach Rahul Dravid was content with the team’s performance in the four-day practice game against Leicestershire County at the Grace Road which ended in a draw when both the teams shook hands.

The match turned out to be a farce as the Indian team used it to their full advantage giving their batters and bowlers every chance to practice in the middle and get acclimatized to the conditions in England ahead of the upcoming fifth and final Test match against England.

Speaking to the county cricket team’s YouTube channel, the former India captain stated, “The ground’s been excellent so yes it’s been a great week and just finally on the practice wicket as well. It really helps you adapt to English conditions. That’s always hard. Isn’t it to come over and adapt to how to play in England. When you especially, when you’ve got just one game or you know it’s a one-off game in a series.”

“It’s not really a lot of time until you’ve got to hit the ground running hard and you’ve got to be able to hopefully get your act together right from the first day of the test match”, he further added.

It’s Been Great Crowds You Know, It’s Really Lovely To See So Many People Come And Watch: Rahul Dravid

Before start of play on Day 4, India declared on their overnight second innings total of 364 for seven. Half-centuries by Shreyas Iyer (62), Ravindra Jadeja (56*), and Virat Kohli (67) helped them set a target of 367 runs. Initially, India had declared after posting 264 for eight in their first innings, followed by Leicestershire reaching 244 for 10.

However, chasing the target, the hosts reached 219 for four in 66 overs as Louis Kimber (58*) and Joey Evison (15*) remained unbeaten.

The 49-year-old also praised the ‘atmosphere and vibe’ in the venue and said: “I thought you know everyone’s really looked after us really well. It’s been great crowds you know, it’s really lovely to see so many people come to watch the game like this and just the atmosphere and the vibe.”

India will now face England in the fifth and final Test match from July 1 onwards which will be played at Edgbaston in Birmingham. India leads the series 2-1 and needs to win or draw the match to win the series, while England needs to win the match to level the series and save face.

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