Why the BCCI should seek Rahul Dravid's services

With Sachin’s retirement, Team India will be heading to South Africa with a batting line up completely short of experience. With Gambhir and Sehwag out of reckoning, it’s safe to say that among the top six, Kohli is the most experienced with 20 Tests under his belt. So how well equipped are our batsmen heading in to these overseas tours over the next 15 months?

Question marks already exist over the younger generation’s inability in seamer friendly conditions. And after what happened in 2011 against England and Australia, we cannot afford another drubbing. This is where the BCCI needs to step in and make sure the young batsmen are well equipped to face the challenges abroad.

What they can do is appoint India’s most successful overseas batsman of all time as the batting consultant during these tours. Over the years he has enthralled us with some magnificent performances abroad. Dravid is the first name to spring on to our minds when we talk about technique in tough batting conditions.

This is how he has fared in the four countries which India are about to tour in the coming months.

New Zealand

Dravid has toured New Zealand thrice and has scored 766 runs at a stunning average of 63.83, with only Azharrudin and Gambhir averaging more than him. In his first tour, he made scores of 190 and 103 not out in the same Test. To this date, Dravid remains the last Indian batsman to have achieved this feat of scoring hundreds in both innings of a Test match. His second tour was a poor one as India lost both the Tests with Dravid making only a single half century.

Rahul Dravid against New Zealand

His last tour in 2009 was successful for him as well as for his team as India managed to win a Test series in New Zealand after 41 long years. He scored four fluent fifties including a patient 62 of 220 balls which was instrumental in India saving a Test after being asked to follow on.

South Africa

Not many of us know that Dravid averages only 29.71 in South Africa despite being known as someone who is technically well balanced to score big anywhere around the world. He has a combined average of 51 in these four countries, but his average in South Africa falls well short of it. Credit should be given to their bowlers as Pollock, Ntini, Steyn have all bowled well to him.

His first tour in 1997 was his most successful one where he managed to score 148 in the third Test at Johannesburg which incidentally was his first Test hundred. His last tour in 2010 was the poorest of the lot with him averaging only 20.

Dravid’s technique against short pitched bowling has always been appreciated.

But still, his experience in those conditions will come in handy as his technique against pace and bounce is well documented. He would be able to guide the youngsters on these pitches as only Pujara has managed to play Test cricket in South Africa among the specialist batsmen.

England

Certainly the Undisputed King among the Indian batsmen at the home of cricket. It all started at Lord’s in 1996 when he scored 95 in his debut. His second tour in 2002 kick started a five year period where he was the best batsman in the team despite Tendulkar’s presence. In that tour, he made 3 hundreds including his first overseas double hundred. His third tour in 2007 was a disappointing one with the bat where he made just a single fifty, but tasted success as a captain as he led India to a famous series victory after 21 years.

Dravid has won the Man of the Series award twice in England.

But despite that, people will remember him for his heroics at the age of 38 during the 4-0 drubbing India received. Dravid started off by scoring a hundred at Lord’s followed by one more at Trent Bridge in the second Test. He came in as an opener in the final Test at The Oval and made a 146 batting till the very end.

So having the presence of a man who has won a couple of man of the series awards in England will be very essential for this team, especially since none among Dhawan, Vijay, Rohit, Kohli, Pujara and Rahane have played even a single Test in England.

Australia

Dravid had his shares of highs and lows in Australia where he ended up with an average of 41.64. He had a reality check on his first tour to Australia in 1999-00 where he averaged just 15 in the three Tests. He struggled again in his final tour in 2011-12 where he averaged just 24. The 2007-08 tour was a moderate one where he made a gritty 93 at Perth, a Test which India won.

Dravid’s most memorable moment in Australia was the Adelaide triumph during the 2003-04 tour.

Despite some lows during his first and last tours, he will always be remembered for his heroics in Adelaide during the 2003-04 tour where he single handedly led India to a Test win in Australia after 22 long years. That win is still being spoken by many as India’s greatest overseas win. He made a mammoth 233 in the first innings and followed it up with an unbeaten 72 in the second innings.

Batting for long periods of time and battling tough conditions with loads of patience are essential qualities to succeed at the Test level. And these are the exact qualities one would associate with Dravid. He often talks about how a bowler is bound to beat your outside edge at times in tough conditions and how you got to put that aside when you are facing the next ball.

Dravid’s success had a lot to with his terrific concentration levels and an eye contact which was second to none. With the kind of batting talent that’s available in this squad, his presence might just be the right kind of tonic that’s needed to fine tune them to succeed in Test cricket abroad.

The Board has to ensure that they get his services as soon as possible. He will always be ready to help, but at the same time one gets a feeling that he would love to involve himself more with commentating and analyzing these days. So the BCCI needs to step in and appoint him as a batting consultant before he signs up for commentating duties for the overseas tours.