Great opportunity for Ishant Sharma to step up on England tour: Rahul Dravid

Rahul Dravid

The last time India toured England in 2011, amidst the embarassment of a whitewash, Rahul Dravid stood strong, emerging from the ruins with 461 runs at an average of 76.83 in the 4-Test series. 2 years after his retirement, India are set to tour England again, this time for a 5-match series, India’s first since 1959, and Dravid feels India can do well this time, provided they find a couple of bowlers who can stand up to the challenge.

Speaking at a promotional event organised by Gillette, Dravid said, “It is going to be a challenging series, there is no doubt about it. If India can find a couple of bowlers who can step up during the series, then I think they are in for a great series.”

Dravid said he was impressed by this side led by MS Dhoni on the tours to South Africa and New Zealand, but stressed on the need to grab crucial chances in Tests.

"I think 5 Test matches is never easy but I believe India have got a pretty good side. From what I have seen in the last two series in South Africa and New Zealand, they came close to winning a Test match in both the series. Whether it was in Johannesburg or whether it was in New Zealand, they had their chances but they just couldn't grab them. I think this might be a good time and a good series for them to make that jump and actually win one or two Test matches abroad,” he said.

"If they do that then they will get a lot of confidence because they are quite a young side, a developing side. The challenge again I believe for India is that ability to get 20 wickets. You must find a way to get 20 wickets. You saw that with Sri Lanka in the last game as well, they just didn't seem to be able to get 20 wickets against England. That becomes a big challenge for sub-continent teams when we travel abroad.”

India have Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja as spin options on the tour and Dravid feels they may have a role to play in England.

“I believe if the summer is hot and if the Test goes on till fourth and fifth day, it does start turning in England and people like Ashwin and Jadeja can come to the fore as well. Ashwin and Jadeja are both quite young, so the more they play, the better they get. It will be interesting to see if India can play both in the same side. If India can play both of them and the conditions allow that, that will be fantastic

“I remember winning in Headingly (in 2002) with both Anil (Kumble) and Harbhajan (Singh) playing in the same Test (and sharing 11 wickets). It will be great if India can play both of them but that solely depends on the conditions. If the summer is dry and it does start turning towards the third or fourth day of a Test match, spinners do come into play in England.”

Though the conditions are conducive to swing bowling, Dravid emphasised on the importance of keeping it tight.

“There are good conditions to bowl in England but you have to bowl well. Your lengths have to be right because if you bowl the wrong length in England, you can get punished very badly. The outfields are fast and the batsmen are waiting for anything short. You have to look to pitch the ball up and you have to look to swing. If one or two guys can do that, they stand a good chance to have success,” he said.

India are without their pace spearhead Zaheer Khan, who wasn’t selected for the tour, and have Ishant Sharma as the senior most pacer in the squad. Dravid said it’s time for Ishant step up to the challenge.

“There is a great opportunity for Ishant. Ishant has been around for a long time. He has got experience. It really should be his time to step up and say 'I am going to lead this attack'. Hopefully he will be able look after this attack in the next couple of years, in the absence of Zaheer, who unfortunately isn't there."

India play 5 Tests in England starting July 9 to August 19.