IND vs SL 2021: "Rahul Dravid is a terrific mentor" – VVS Laxman

VVS Laxman heaped praise on his former India teammate Rahul Dravid ahead of the latter's first assignment as the national side's head coach.

Calling him a "terrific mentor," VVS Laxman stated that as a coach at junior level, Rahul Dravid emphasized giving everyone in the squad a chance, but now at the international stage, the focus will be on winning.

"Most players in the squad have worked with Rahul [Dravid] previously, either with India 'A' and Under-19 or at the NCA, and have clearly benefited from his wisdom. I am sure they will be better off for this experience because Rahul is a terrific mentor, cricket-wise and beyond," said VVS Laxman.

"In the past, Rahul has stressed on making sure everyone in the squad gets at least one game. That philosophy is certain to give way to a strong emphasis on winning," VVS Laxman wrote in his column for TOI.

As batting partners, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman have brought Indian cricket some of its finest moments in their cricketing chronicles – most notably the Kolkata win against Australia in 2001 and the Adelaide victory against the same opponent in 2003.

Some of the youngsters have been fortunate to be guided by Rahul Dravid at an early stage in their careers.I am sure this experience of having Rahul as their coach in an international assignment will help many youngsters to go on to become match winners for India #INDvsSL pic.twitter.com/8BmMcg1P8X

— Venkatesh Prasad (@venkateshprasad) July 18, 2021

Good opportunity for Shikhar Dhawan ahead of T20 World Cup: VVS Laxman

VVS Laxman also expressed his happiness for the "consistent" Shikhar Dhawan, who will captain the Indian side in Sri Lanka. One of the leading batters in ODIs, the 35-year-old is yet to cement his place in T20Is as India have a top-heavy full-strength unit in Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul.

The former batsman believes the limited-overs tour is a good opportunity for Shikhar Dhawan to nail his place in the side ahead of the T20 World Cup that starts in October this year.

VVS Laxman, who mentored Shikhar Dhawan during the latter's stint at Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in earlier editions of the Indian Premier League (IPL), wrote:

"I am particularly happy for Shikhar [Dhawan], whose consistency and seniority have been rewarded with the captaincy of the national side. It's a great opportunity for him to not just showcase his leadership skills, but also nail down his place ahead of the T20 World Cup given the competition of places at the top of the batting order."

With 380 runs at 54.28 and a strike rate of over 134, Shikhar Dhawan is also the current Orange Cap holder in the IPL 2021, which is set to resume in September.

"Rahul Dravid would have interacted Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri. This is a good series to try players in. Every player wants to give their Best and then lots of doors will be open for everyone." - Shikhar Dhawan (In press)

— CricketMAN2 (@man4_cricket) July 17, 2021