"I think we are very satisfied and happy" - Rahul Dravid says India are well-prepared for Edgbaston Test
India coach Rahul Dravid has said that the visitors are ready to face England in the much-anticipated fifth Test in Birmingham. The former Indian batter is optimistic about having achieved what the team wanted to in the warm-up game against Leicestershire.
Indian players had productive outings in the four-day practice game in Leicester, with Srikar Bharat, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja making half-centuries. The likes of Mohammed Shami, Ravindra Jadeja and Navdeep Saini also took wickets in the fixture.
🗣 | “𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤.”
@BCCI Head Coach 𝐑𝐚𝐡𝐮𝐥 𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐝 was full of praise for the week the side spent at Leicestershire, crediting the facilities, the wicket and the support from the crowd at UCG.
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In a video uploaded by Leicestershire Foxes on Twitter, Dravid said that the visitors ticked all the boxes leading up to the one-off Test and is satisfied with the preparations. The 49-year old knows that in a one-off game, there is hardly any room for error, saying:
"I think whatever we needed to achieve and whatever boxes we needed to tick in terms of our preparation leading into the Test match on Friday, I think we are very satisfied and happy; we have been able to do that this week."
Dravid continued
"When you have got just one game or one-off game in a series, it's not really a lot of time; 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."
India lead the five-match series 2-1 in 2021 before the final Test had to be called off due to a surge of COVID-19 cases in the tourists' camp. Should India avoid defeat in Edgbaston, they';; register their first series victory on English soil since 2007.
"I thought you know everyone's really looked after us really well" - Rahul Dravid
Rahul Dravid, a 164-Test veteran, has said that the atmosphere in Leicester was electrifying. He added that it was lovely to see many people watching the game from the stadium. He said:
"It has been a good week. I thought the match wicket was challenging on first couple of days and settled down in the last two, so it was good; it was a great week."
The coach added:
"I thought you know everyone's really looked after us really well. It's been great crowds. It's really lovely to see so many people come to watch the game like this, and just the atmosphere and the vibe have been excellent."
Leicestershire CCC x @BCCI 💪
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and passion for the game this week. 💚💙
📸: @John_M100
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India have called up Mayank Agarwal for the fifth Test as a replacement for Rohit Sharma, who tested positive for COVID-19. It remains unclear who'll captain the team on July 1.