New Delhi: India’s ace spinner Ravichandran Ashwin supported Rahul Dravid after he faces a lot of criticism for taking a break for India’s series against New Zealand.
Ashwin said on his YouTube channel, “I will explain why Laxman has gone there with a completely different team because even that could be interpreted differently. Rahul Dravid and his team put in extensive hard work ahead of the T20 World Cup, right from planning, since I saw this from close quarters, I’m saying this. They had specific in-depth plans for each venue and each opposition. So they would have been under not only mental but also physical burnout and everyone needed a break. As soon as the New Zealand series ends, we have the Bangladesh tour. That’s why we have a different coaching staff led by Laxman for this tour”.
The Men in Blue is led by Hardik Pandya and coached by VVS Laxman for a three-match T20I and ODI series against New Zealand. Former Indian coach Ravi Shastri questioned the decision of Rahul Dravid when he took a break post the T20 World Cup 2022. He said, “I do not believe in breaks”.
“Because I want to understand my team, I want to understand my players and I want to be in control of that team. These breaks… why do you need that many breaks, to be honest? You get your 2-3 months of the IPL, that’s enough for you to rest as a coach. But other times, I think a coach should be hands-on, whoever he is”, Ravi Shastri added.
India squad: Hardik Pandya (C), Rishabh Pant (vc & wk), Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Surya Kumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson (wk), W Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Mohd. Siraj, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umran Malik.