Rahul Dravid highlights the need to rotate the squad

What’s the story?

Indian batting legend Rahul Dravid, who is the coach of Indian Under-19 team as well as the India A side, has spoken about the importance of rotating the squad to help team morale. For the upcoming Test series against England Under 19, India named a completely fresh squad without a single player from the recently concluded one-day series.

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When asked about the same by bcci.tv, he replied, “There is an effort to try and get a lot more boys involved. In a sense, it (rotation) builds healthy competition; lets everyone know that they cannot take their places for granted. In the future, the opportunities that they get, more than I would say selection will be based on their performances.”

In case you didn’t know..

When Rahul Dravid was the captain of the Indian team back in 2005, he liked to rotate his squad and has continued the policy even as a coach. The former India and Karnataka player has been at the helm since his appointment in May 2015. His team reached the Under-19 World Cup finals in 2016, but were unlucky to be outrun by West Indies in the last game of the tournament.

The heart of the matter

The selectors named a whole new 15-man squad for the Test matches against England Under-19 commencing on 13^th of February. This came as a surprise because many of the players who were part of the limited overs side had performed well and the highest run-getter in the one-day series was also an Indian.

But the selectors decided otherwise after Dravid’s recommendation to overhaul the limited overs side with a new bunch of players to enhance their development.

Extra Cover: Rahul Dravid feels youngsters need not focus on results

However, Dravid reflected the same by saying that the most demoralising thing that can happen to a young player is when he is selected for a tour and doesn’t get to play a match. He expressed that at a young age, players must be given ample opportunities to develop the skill set they possess and not to let them chase trophies. He also pointed that with squad rotation in place, the players will know that they can’t take their place in the XI for granted.

What’s next?

The Indian side will now face the England Under-19 in two unofficial Test matches beginning on Monday. The newer set of players have already worked with trainers at National Cricket Academy in Bangalore. The youngsters will be looking to make the most of the limited opportunities they will be offered.

Sportskeeda’s take

India has recently produced several promising youngsters. With Dravid at the helm, we believe that the players will have valuable guidance to take their cricket to the next level. With too many players waiting in the wings, the move to rotate the squad will help in discovering new talents in the Under-19 pool.