‘Being a left-handed pacer is not enough to make the Indian team,’ says Rahul Dravid.
India began the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on a high note, defeating Australia in the first Test by an innings and 132 runs. Both innings were controlled by India’s bowlers. In their two innings, the visitors were bundled out for 177 and 91 runs. India, on the other hand, amassed a massive 400-run total, led by captain Rohit Sharma’s century.
With the second Test set to begin on Friday, February 17, the hosts will be hoping to continue their winning streak. The second Test of the four-match series will be played at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium. Before the game, India coach Rahul Dravid spoke to the media about a variety of topics. There was one question posed to the Team head about the lack of quality left-hand pacers, to which he replied sharply.
A journalist approached Dravid and asked him about the team’s lack of quality left-arm pacers. The media person posed the question, citing Mitchell Starc of Australia and Shaheen Shah Afridi of Pakistan as examples. He even questioned why India has yet to produce quality pacers such as Ashish Nehra and Irfan Pathan. However, Dravid reacted strongly to the reporter.
“A left-handed fast bowler adds a lot of variety. You forgot the name of Zaheer Khan. However, selectors and management are on the lookout for these talents. Arshdeep Singh performed admirably in recent ODIs, as well as in the Ranji Trophy, where he took 4-5 wickets. He’s young, he’s developing. Other guys are performing as well. However, simply being a left-handed pacer will not help you get into the side; you must also perform,” Dravid explained.
“Aapke paas hain 6ft 4′ bowler toh aap batado” (If you know someone 6ft4 bowler let us know). “You took Mitchell Starc and Shaheen Afridi’s names, but in India, we rarely find someone as tall as 6ft 5′ who bowls left-handed fast,” he added.
