“Rahul Dravid has great organizational skills and technical expertise” - Salman Butt
Former Pakistan batsman Salman Butt feels that Indian youngsters who are training under Rahul Dravid are lucky since they are learning from a legend who has seen and done it all in cricket. Butt stated that apart from his technical knowledge, Dravid has the advantage of being good with organizational skills.
Dravid is currently mentoring the Indian limited-overs squad in Sri Lanka, which has a number of new faces. He earlier coached the India A and India U-19 sides before taking over as the head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA).
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Butt praised BCCI’s decision to hire the services of Dravid. He stated:
“India are hiring specialists to train their players. Not only specialists in cricket skills, but also ones who are organizational specialists, who can guide teams in the right direction. A person who is now working with the team but has in the past run the side as well. Rahul Dravid has been the captain as well. And it wasn’t if he was the makeshift captain and or a failed leader, who was sacked. In fact, he was a successful skipper.”
Butt further pointed out that Dravid and other former pros such as Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman had good organizational skills, which is why they could help a young leader like MS Dhoni succeed.
The former Pakistan skipper elaborated:
“Organizational skills of the (Indian) players can be judged from the fact that, even with five-six big names, a team managed to work towards a goal in a united manner. Dhoni captained Dravid, Ganguly, Tendulkar and Laxman. It is not an easy job. I had seen during my playing days, the captain respected the seniors, who reciprocated by backing their leader. So Dravid obviously has organizational skills. Add to it, his technical expertise. Dravid has proved himself in the toughest conditions. So he knows what to teach the youngsters since he has gained that experience."
Opportunity for Rahul Dravid to create future champions: VVS Laxman
According to former India batsman Laxman, although the Sri Lanka series will be a short one, players who get a chance to spend time with Dravid will definitely benefit from the experience.
Laxman told Star Sports:
“I don’t think that there is any pressure (on Dravid). It is an opportunity for him to create future champions of Indian cricket. It is not necessary that everyone will get an opportunity to play in this series. But just spending time with Rahul and sharing his experiences, which is already done with a lot of players in the squad will just enhance their future."
India’s limited-overs series against Sri Lanka will begin with the first ODI in Colombo on July 13.