'Going To Be A Challenge For Them' - Rahul Dravid Warns England Ahead Of 1st Test
Rahul Dravid with Rohit Sharma (X.com)
India’s head coach Rahul Dravid applauded England’s success in Test cricket against top sides but affirmed that playing in India would be a bigger challenge. Notably, the five-match Test series between England and India starts begins on Thursday.
England team are coming into the series on the back of a 2-2 series draw in the Ashes. Prior to that, they won 1-0 against Ireland, drew 1-1 against New Zealand and whitewashed Pakistan 3-0.
India’s head coach, Rahul Dravid heaped praise on England’s new-found 'Bazball' approach in Test cricket and was mighty impressed with their success rate in their recent Test series. In an interaction on Tuesday, Dravid said:
"It's been exciting to watch them play and you know they've had success playing like that. They've done well in Pakistan. They've won in New Zealand and they had a really exciting series against Australia in the Ashes as well. So, we have to respect that.”
Rahul Dravid is pretty confident of his boys playing in home conditions but knows the fact that Ben Stokes and Co. will try to put them under pressure with their ‘Bazball’ approach.
"But we know that it's going to be a challenge for them in these conditions because these are conditions we know very well. We've got a lot of experience in our attack. I'm looking forward to seeing how our boys respond, because I know that we will be put under pressure," Dravid added.
Virat Kohli pulls out of the first two Test due to personal reasons
In a big blow ahead of the start of the series, India’s batting maestro Virat Kohli has pulled out of the first two Tests of the series. He practiced with the Indian team in Hyderabad on Monday but went back home due to an emergency.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India updated the fans on the same, while requesting the media to respective his privacy during this time.
“Virat Kohli has requested the BCCI to be withdrawn from the first two Tests of the upcoming Test series against England, citing personal reasons,” the BCCI said in a statement.
“Virat has spoken to Captain Rohit Sharma, the team management and the selectors and has emphasised that while representing the country has always been his top priority, certain personal situations demand his presence and undivided attention,” read the statement.
The first Test match of the five-match series is slated to take place at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium from 25th to 29th January 2024.
 "Arpit Sachdeva")
