"You get 4 points for a draw, 12 for a win"- Rahul Dravid refers to WTC premium while discussing 'poor' pitch of Indore
Coach of the Indian cricket team Rahul Dravid shared his views on the nature of pitches for Test cricket in current times. He said that more result-oriented wickets are being prepared because of the World Test Championship points system. The former India captain feels that teams want to win as many matches as possible on home turf.
India has received criticism from fans for preparing excessively spin-friendly pitches in the ongoing series against Australia. All three Tests played so far have ended inside three days. The pitch used for the third Test in Indore was rated 'poor' by the ICC.
Speaking with reporters before the fourth Test in Ahmedabad, Dravid recalled the Kanpur Test against New Zealand in late 2021, where India narrowly missed out on a win. The Blackcaps were nine wickets down in the second innings, but the 10th-wicket pair of Ajaz Patel and Rachin Ravindra pulled off a draw for the visitors.
India could have earned 12 points from that game, but they only got four because of the draw.
"You draw a game like Kanpur against New Zealand where you take nine wickets in the second innings, you draw that game and that sets you back, in a home game," Rahul Dravid was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
"Whether it's home or away, there's certainly a definite premium on getting wins ahead of draws in this competition. You get four points for a draw and you get 12 for a win, so there is a premium on that, there's no question about it."
'With WTC points at stake, you tend to play on wickets that produce results'
#TeamIndia Head Coach #RahulDravid shares his thoughts on the discussion surrounding pitch and a lot more ahead of the 4th #INDvAUS Test 👇
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"I think he has kept beautifully for us"- Rahul Dravid not concerned about KS Bharat's form
KS Bharat made his Test debut in the ongoing series against Australia. The new Indian wicket-keeper has played three Tests so far, but he is yet to play an impactful knock. His highest score after three games is 23*.
While Bharat's numbers do not look great, head coach Rahul Dravid is not too worried about the team's new wicket-keeper.
"I think he [Bharat] has kept beautifully for us. Even though it's not a big contribution, he got 17 in the first innings [in Indore], got a nice contribution in the last Test match in Delhi, he played nicely and positively."
Ishan Kishan for KS Bharat 🔁
Is it a good move? 🤔🇮🇳
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The fourth Test of the India vs. Australia series will start on Thursday. It will be interesting to see if KS Bharat retains his place in the playing XI or Ishan Kishan replaces him.