Bangladesh spin-bowling consultant S Sriram lauds Rahul Dravid

Indian head coach Rahul Dravid [Image Credits- BCCI]

Bangladesh spin-bowling consultant S Sriram doffed his hat to Indian coach and legendary cricketer Rahul Dravid for the way he has been able to handle the intense pressure that comes with representing India in all formats either as player or head coach.

Sriram addressed the press-conference ahead of Bangladesh's Asia Cup campaign opener against Afghanistan in Sharjah on Tuesday.

Amid a sea of questions, the former Indian spinner was asked whether the game of cricket is moving towards having different coaches and captains for different formats.

Sriram believes that given the hectic scheduling and the demands of different formats, teams around the world will increasingly employ different personnel moving ahead.

He also doffed his hat to Dravid, who is the head coach of the Men in Blue in all three formats.

However, the spin-bowling coach is confident that Bangladesh players will execute the game plans and strategies with aplomb in the continental tournament.

Here are the excerpts from S Sriram's press-conference:

 "Hats off to him! Even more difficult for players like him who have been on the road. He's been such a player. He's been dealing with pressure and expectations for such a long time in his life. As a player, and comeback to be able to do it as coach, I'm sure he'll finally be tired"

 "I think of Afghanistan is a very dangerous team. They don't only depend on Rashid Khan. So Rashid Khan, we all know he's a world famous performer, is one of the best T20 bowlers in the world. There's no denying that. But I think when we prepare, we prepare for Afghanistan as a team, not as Rashid Khan or Mohammad Nabi or Fazal Al Farooqi, does not matter, but I think we are prepared for Afghanistan the team."

"No, I don't think so. Again, I think we're very clear as to our game style, what we want to play and the conditions don't...we know ...I've played in Sharjah so many times. We know what to expect. It's good that we didn't practice there. Practice facilities are not great in Sharjah. We've had very good facilities here, so we are happy with what we've got."

Can Bangladesh open their campaign with a win on Tuesday?

Bangladesh will play their opener against Afghanistan

This Asia Cup is a golden opportunity for the Bangladesh men's cricket team to start afresh in this format of the game.

The Shakib Al Hasan-led unit has been truly abysmal in T20Is for a while now. They will come into this tournament on the back of crushing defeats at the hands of the West Indies and Zimbabwe.

The Asian Tigers will face yet another stiff challenge in the form of Afghanistan, who are riding high after a comprehensive win over Sri Lanka in their previous match, on Tuesday.

Also Read: T20 Leagues have helped Afghanistan cricket to prosper: Rashid Khan