In the post-match analysis of India’s loss to England in Hyderabad, head coach Rahul Dravid pinpointed a critical juncture that led to the team’s downfall. According to Dravid, the biggest mistake occurred during India’s first innings when they failed to capitalize on favorable batting conditions on day two.
Dravid expressed his disappointment, stating, “I thought we left probably 70 runs on the board in the first innings. You know, I think in our first innings, when conditions were pretty good to bat in on day two, I thought in the kinds of situations we got ourselves into, some good starts, and we didn’t really capitalize.”
Key batsmen like Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, and Shreyas Iyer couldn’t convert promising starts into substantial scores. While acknowledging the challenges, Dravid defended the young batting lineup, emphasizing that many players are still learning the art of playing long innings.
“A lot of players are quite young, in the sense that a lot of these guys do play a lot of white-ball cricket and also maybe don’t get a lot of time to get to play a lot of first-class cricket as well. So, they’re learning and I think they’re getting there,” said Dravid.
He highlighted the importance of converting starts into big hundreds, acknowledging that in the first innings, India missed the opportunity to reach a more imposing total. Despite the setback, Dravid commended the team’s efforts, stating, “I thought 190 was a really good score, to be very honest with you.”
Reflecting on the challenges of adapting to spinning conditions, Dravid acknowledged that the current generation is working hard to develop the skills necessary to counter such conditions. He recognized the players’ merit in being selected and urged them to focus on constant improvement.
Dravid acknowledged the difficulties of chasing a target in the second innings and expressed confidence in the team’s ability to learn and adapt, emphasizing the importance of perseverance and continuous skill development in navigating challenging conditions.