Team India head coach Rahul Dravid lauded his team for making an incredible comeback to win a Test series against England, which concluded following an innings and 64-run win over Ben Stokes-led touring party at Himchal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala on Saturday, March 8.
India lost the Test series opener in Hyderabad but Rohit Sharma and the boys made a comeback in the remaining four Tests of the series to complete a stunning turnaround, reclaiming momentum with their splendid performances and resilience.
In a video shared by BCCI on its X handle (formerly Twitter), Rahul Dravid stated that team was pushed after first Test defeat and found a way to bounce back to win the series, while highlighting the skills, character and resilience players showed during the series. He also praised youngsters in team for helping the teammates to succeed.
"We were challenged, pushed and really found a way to bounce back. It just speaks the skills, resilience and character that we have. There are many occasions in the series where the game could've gone either way but we always found a people in this dressing room to step up and turn the game our way." Team India head coach said.
"For a lot of young guys, you are going to need each other to succeed. Whether you are a batter or a bowler, your success is tied to other people's success. All of you are invested in each other's success, and that's important. Well done on that." Dravid added.
In the recently concluded Test series, youngsters were the stand out performers for India as they stepped up in the absence of senior players like KL Rahul and Virat Kohli. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Akash Deep and Devdutt Padikkal shone with their performances in the Test series against strong England team.
Among the youngsters, Yashasvi Jaiswal emerged as star performer as he amassed 712 runs, including two double centuries and three fifties, at an average of 89 in 9 innings.
Test cricket is hard at times: Rahul Dravid
Continuing his speech, Rahul Dravid shed light on the challenges of playing Test Cricket while emphasizing the significance of the format and the sense of satisfaction of clinching the series after being 0-1 down after first Test defeat in Hyderabad.
"Series like this have to be earned. This is tough; Test cricket is hard at times. It's hard in terms of your skills; it's hard physically and mentally. It's not easy. But there's great satisfaction." Dravid said.
"The satisfaction we get winning a series like this, coming from one behind, to be able to win four, is phenomenal. There are going to be tougher challenges as we go forward; as long as we grow and learn and keep improving and stay tight as a unit, we will be fine." he added.
Following the conclusion of Test series, Indian players will now join respective IPL teams for the upcoming season of the tournament, slated to take place on March 22.
