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Team India head coach Rahul Dravid has heaped praise on skipper Rohit Sharma for the way he led the team in the Test series against England. Rohit and co. lost the first Test in Hyderabad, but made a sensational comeback to win the remaining four Tests and take the series 4-1.
The hosts had several big names like Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant and Mohammed Shami missing and there was inexperience particularly in the batting department. However, Dravid was thrilled to see how the youngsters rallied behind Rohit and staged a fightback.
Speaking to the host broadcaster after India's comprehensive win in Dharamsala, here's what Rahul Dravid had to say about working with Rohit Sharma and other players:
"I think I'm privileged to work with a lovely team. It's not just about me. And I think this is a fantastic bunch of professionals that I have the privilege of working with. And I'm learning from them all the time. Rohit [Sharma] has been fantastic to work with.
"I think he's a terrific leader. And just the guys gravitate towards him phenomenally, which is fantastic to see."
Rohit Sharma also scored 400 runs in the five Tests at an impressive average of 44.44, including crucial hundreds in Rajkot and Dharamsala. He became the first captain to win a Test series against the Bazball ideology of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum.
Rahul Dravid also praises chief selector Ajit Agarkar
One of the biggest positives for India in the Test series was the way the youngsters like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Shubman Gill, Sarfaraz Khan, etc. stepped up. There were as many as five debutants for India in the series and most of them left a positive impact.
Rahul Dravid lauded chief selector Ajit Agarkar and his team for their efforts in scouting the players and pushing the team management to back them. He stated:
"A lot of the youngsters that come in, honestly, as a coach and as a captain, we don't actually get to see them because we don't see as much domestic cricket as Ajit and his team of selectors do.
"And they've pushed us and they've challenged us to pick some of these young players and they've picked the right ones and they've come out here and performed."
The Test series win against England could be hailed as arguably the finest moment in Rahul Dravid's tenure as India's head coach. His next assignment will be the all-important T20 World Cup in June in the West Indies and the USA.
