"Opportunity for somebody else to be able to step up" - Rahul Dravid on Virat Kohli's absence for the first two India vs England Tests
Team India head coach Rahul Dravid feels Virat Kohli's absence should be looked at as an opportunity for others in the team to step up in the first two Tests of the series against England.
Kohli has withdrawn himself from the Indian squad for the first two games, citing personal reasons as per the statement released by the BCCI. Given how good he looked in the Tests against South Africa and his experience, it is a setback for the hosts ahead of the first Test on Thursday.
However, speaking to reporters, Rahul Dravid explained how the others in the Indian batting line-up can step up in Virat Kohli's absence. He said:
"I think you know any team will miss the quality of a player of the Virat. There's no doubt about it. You know, he's a phenomenal player. His record speaks for him. On the field, his presence is a huge boost to the side. But having said that, I think, it just presents another opportunity for somebody else to be able to step up and to be able to put in some performances."
India haven't named a replacement for Kohli at the time of writing. With Dravid specifying that the team management isn't looking at KL Rahul as a wicketkeeping option, the right-hander could replace Kohli as a pure batter in the middle order.
Rahul Dravid on England's Bazball ideology
Rahul Dravid is well aware of England's ultra-attacking 'Bazball' philosophy and how it can catch India off-guard. However, he has full faith in the quality of the Indian bowling and feels the hosts have an advantage of knowing the conditions well.
On this, Dravid stated:
"It's certainly been exciting to watch them play and they've had success playing like that. So why wouldn't you play like that? But we know it's going to be a challenge for them in these conditions as well. These are conditions that we know very well. We've got a lot of experience in our attack."
Rahul Dravid is looking forward to the prospect of England coming hard at India and wants to see how Rohit Sharma and Co. respond. It will be interesting to see whether Ben Stokes and his men can continue playing their aggressive brand of cricket if they are greeted with a rank-turner in Hyderabad.