Kanpur Test: Rahane, Pujara in management position as ties with coach Dravid strengthen

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Three fast steps, the last more than the primary two, Rahul Dravid breaks his supply stride with a clean spherical of his shoulder, off-break to Cheteshwar Pujara on the nets. The ball hit the face of Pujara’s stretched and dead-straight bat simply outdoors the off-stump. The ball fell close to his toes, and as Pujara threw the ball again at Dravid, the latter indicated to him with a flick of his wrist that he couldn’t get the flight he wished.

Ajinkya Rahane was watching all this distant from the nets. He went to Dravid and whispered one thing in his ear. Dravid shook his head vigorously, then ran to bowl the subsequent ball. It was the next flight, extra revs, all of a sudden Pujara dropped in and swung again to his toes rapidly. Pujara strikes rapidly to the depth of his crease and defends the ball to security, although uncomfortably. Dravid hits a thumbs up on Rahane. Whatever their inputs have been, it appeared to work.

Later, as Pujara shifted to the middle nets, Rahane proceeded to shout “Rahul bhai, Rahul bhai” as if asking him to bowl some off-breaks. Dravid obliged – and finally he bowled many of the batsmen and some bowlers, together with Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav. This was not the final time the trio of Rahane, Pujara and Dravid have been seen collectively, a lot in order that they shared an invisible magnetic area. After Pujara executed a brace of sweep photographs, a software he hardly ever pulls out, Dravid checked out Dravid with approval, who nodded his head in approval. Later the trio checked out Jayant Yadav and Iyer.

The heat that the trio shared was extra fraternal than skilled, and it might be that beneath Dravid’s reign, the Rahane and Pujara pair may emerge extra within the foreground as pillars of management. The upgradation of roles additionally comes on the most troublesome instances, when they’re in all probability coming into the ultimate phases of their careers.

Both are 33 years previous, and are a part of the staff’s base. Pujara had mentioned the opposite day that he was serving to kids even earlier than turning into vice-captain and can proceed to take action, however his efforts in the course of the nets within the final two years have been evident.

Not that they have been much less outstanding members throughout Ravi Shastri’s tenure, however they have been primarily males within the background, going about their errands quietly, till Rahane was the stand-in captain. Maybe, Shastri and Kohli’s personalities have been so sturdy that eye and ear have been largely skilled on them, even Rahane and Pujara slipped into the cloak of oblivion, as is their nature.

The Dravidian presence is extra melodious, even omnipresent. He is sort of a stressed little one within the park, in every single place and nowhere. The second you lose sight of him, he can be in a special nook of the bottom. While Shastri infused an infectious depth within the internet classes, Dravid introduced an infectious wave of calmness. Not simply Rahane and Pujara, a bunch of leaders gave the impression to be on the sector. Like Umesh Yadav taking the well-known Krishna beneath his wing, or Ravindra Jadeja and Ravi Ashwin speaking at size with Jayant Yadav.

But right here, you’ll be able to see the extra concerned Pujara and Rahane, not solely in direction of their very own internet classes, however of others as nicely. Like Pujara, who has typically sidelined Shreyas Iyer, who will make his Test debut on Thursday. Rahane was additionally overseeing the fielding train on Tuesday. Instead of being content material with themselves, that they had a extra seen, vigorous presence than ever earlier than.

Maybe, it is the joy of being on Dravid’s facet. There is somebody whom Rahane and Pujara idolized all through their lives. Dravid’s double century in Adelaide had Pujara looking sports activities retailers for Dravid’s “shiny” gloves. Rahane has doubled his Rawalpindi movie than any of his favourite movies. Someone who has mentored them previously, in addition to somebody they speed-dial in instances of disaster.

Before his career-reviving century towards Sri Lanka in 2015, Pujara took a break to play for India ‘A’ towards Australia ‘A’ tour within the early days of Dravid’s teaching journey. Pujara not solely emerged from the sequence with runs, however his morale was additionally revived, and he finally took the bat on a troublesome wicket at SSC within the deciding Test of the sequence. “I wasn’t in a big space of mind, I was questioning my technique, but Rahul bhai assured me that my technique was fine and I needed to remove the negativity from my mind,” he as soon as mentioned. Told the paper.

Rahane did the identical two years in the past, when he himself was battling a disaster of confidence. He hit the NCA—an invite that Dravid prolonged to each of their first encounter—and rekindled his contact. Even throughout India’s comeback – from 36-all-out to a sequence win – they have been in fixed contact. “If you have a man like Rahul Dravid, you learn something every day… We talk on the phone, exchange messages,” he mentioned. After the Melbourne match and shortly after the Brisbane match he texted me saying how proud he was of the staff,” Rahane as soon as advised this paper in Express Adda.

He nonetheless swears by Dravid’s recommendation to not apply too laborious within the nets. “He once told me that the biggest mistake he made during his playing days was, and I shouldn’t.” Dravid advised Pujara to not be hyper-fixed along with his method. Probably talking from my very own expertise.

He was additionally the person who performed a management position on Rahane throughout his Rajasthan Royals days. “We were both playing for Rajasthan Royals when he came and told me that he was going through a bad time with the bat and that I needed more leadership duties to guide the batting unit. Rahul bhai always did that, he always shared leadership duties,” Rahane elaborated in a video from Delhi Capitals.

From the batting perspective additionally, Dravid’s workload has come on the proper time. Both Rahane and Pujara are wanting runs. The latter hasn’t scored a century in almost three years, although his half-centuries have shaped the premise of a few of India’s finest moments in England and Australia. Apart from a century in Melbourne originally of the yr, Rahane was wanting runs. In the previous couple of days, each of them have been questioned a number of instances about their lack of runs and Dravid’s recommendation to them. “Rahul bhai just told us to support ourselves and not think too much about it. Pujara and I know our game plan, it is about keeping it simple and supporting our plans. If we go in, try to convert it into a big one,” Rahane mentioned on the press convention.

Not simply him, everybody appeared to share the easy quotient with Dravid. Not simply because he’s quickly to be appreciated, however all of them have both performed with him or been coached by him. He was a Dravidian boy even earlier than Dravid took over.

Coaches typically want time to mingle with gamers and adapt to the tradition. Less so with Dravid. It is as if he has at all times been there as an invisible guiding pressure. His becoming a member of as India coach have to be the simplest project for the nationwide staff by a coach within the historical past of Indian cricket. And the obvious path could be for Rahane and Pujara to emerge as leaders.

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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS

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