Rahul Dravid Responds to Batting Criticism as India’s Batting Woes Surface in WTC Final Defeat

In another disappointing final appearance in the World Test Championship, Team India suffered a resounding 209-run defeat against Australia at The Oval. With a challenging target of 444 runs to chase, India could only manage a meager 234 runs before getting bowled out. The fifth and final day of the Test started with India at 164/3, but the team lost all seven remaining wickets within the opening session. 

The batting collapse was initiated by Virat Kohli, who went after a wide delivery from Scott Boland and handed a catch to Steve Smith at slips. Subsequently, the remaining six wickets tumbled in quick succession, adding just 55 runs to the scoreboard.

India’s head coach, Rahul Dravid, faced tough questions from former cricketers and his former teammates Sourav Ganguly and Harbhajan Singh in the aftermath of the disappointing loss. The trio engaged in a discussion, touching upon various factors that contributed to India’s defeat. Ganguly specifically highlighted the struggles faced by India’s batsmen over the past few years, expressing concern over their batting averages.

Ganguly pointed out that very few Indian batters have managed to maintain an average above 30 in recent times, emphasizing the need for a reevaluation of the batting order. In response, Dravid explained that the competitive nature of the World Test Championship and the nature of result-oriented pitches have had an impact on batting averages not only for Indian players but also for players worldwide.

Dravid’s perspective suggested that the challenges faced by the Indian team were not exclusive to them, as other teams have also grappled with similar issues. The discussion shed light on the complexities and nuances of the game at the highest level, highlighting the need for a comprehensive analysis of various factors influencing batting performances in modern-day cricket.

Rahul Dravid said

“Our top-5 is quite experienced. These players will be considered legends; the same boys won the series in Australia, the same boys won in England as well. They are good players. But I accept, and I think they will as well, that they didn’t do justice to the high standards that they’ve set for themselves,” Dravid told Sourav Ganguly during a chat on Star Sports.

“We are working on it. Some of the wickets have been quite challenging. This was a good wicket, I admit, but there were many conditions which weren’t quite good for batting. In WTC cycle, every match is important. We can’t play for draw anymore. We have difficult wickets in India, and result-oriented wickets are there outside India as well. So, all players have taken a hit on their averages, it’s not just our players.

“But yes, we know that we need to score runs on the board to give our bowlers a chance. That’s what we used to do.”

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