Won't be ultra-attacking, but can't see any of my batsmen taking backward step: India head coach Rahul Dravid

However, Dravid did not have much doubt that England would come hard at the hosts in the series, and hoped that India would use the experience in these conditions

India skipper Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid inspect the pitch during a practice session ahead of the first Test of the five-match series against England, in Hyderabad January 23, 2024. Reuters

PTI

Hyderabad, January 23

Head coach Rahul Dravid did not see Indian batters replying to England's ‘Bazball’ in kind but he said they will not be taking a backward step in the five-match Test series beginning here from Thursday.

Dravid said India will formulate their game plans as per the situations that the match throws up at them in the rubber.

“I don't think we are going out there to try to be ultra-attacking. I think we look to play what's in front of us, what the situation demands. But by nature, if you look at our top six-seven batsmen, there are a lot of guys who are naturally positive and look to take the game on.

“So, they're not going to be looking to change that in any particular way. There'll be some different situations in which we may need to look to push the game along or we might have to bat for long periods.

“But I can't see any of my batsmen taking a backward step or look to be defensive,” Dravid said in an interaction here on Tuesday.

However, Dravid did not have much doubt that England would come hard at the hosts in the series, and the head coach hoped that his team would use the experience in these conditions to respond positively to the challenge.

“It's been exciting to watch them play and you know they've had success playing like that. They've done well in Pakistan. They've won in New Zealand and they had a really exciting series against Australia in the Ashes as well. So, we have to respect that.

“But we know that it's going to be a challenge for them in these conditions because these are conditions we know very well. We've got a lot of experience in our attack. I'm looking forward to seeing how our boys respond, because I know that we will be put under pressure,” said Dravid.

Dravid also termed the five-match series a fine chance for Indian players – experienced and upcoming – to set some splendid markers as India are poised to play a few more Tests in the upcoming months in the current World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.

“I do believe to allow people to be comfortable in the way they want to play. They are going to be judged by the results they produce. So, they've got to, you know, find a way to play and work around that. But yeah, they've got some good experience.

“Guys like Rohit have been around for a while, Jaddu (Jadeja) and Ash (Ashwin) have been around for more than a decade. Even KL (Rahul) has been around for a while.

“So, it's a really good opportunity for them over the course of the next five games to set some good markers as there is a lot of Test cricket (for us) over the next 12 to 18 months.

“It's a really good opportunity for some of these young players, having had some taste of international cricket, to take the next steps. I'm interested to see how they go,” he detailed.

Star batter Virat Kohli will skip the first two Tests against England owing to personal reasons.

Dravid said while the team would miss the presence and experience of Kohli, his absence is a chance for some other player to step and prove himself.

The former Indian captain was also excited because India will be playing a five-match Test series after a considerable hiatus.

India's last five-match series was against the same opposition during the pandemic era, and that had to be played in scattered fashion after Covid concerns.

“We are really looking forward to this. It's always exciting when England comes on, because it's one of the most followed Test series in the world. It should be five good Test matches after a long time.

“There's going to be a lot of punches traded on both sides. I really hope that you know, we can get the ground running hard and maybe strike a few balls early on,” he concluded.