"Ajinkya Rahane seems to be in a really good space" - Rahul Dravid ahead of 1st India vs South Africa Test

Team India head coach Rahul Dravid has given a low-down on the mental space of out-of-form players. He also revealed the conversations he has had with them regarding their prospects in the playing 11 ahead of the first Test against South Africa on Sunday.

Speaking about Ajinkya Rahane, who was sacked from the vice-captaincy in the leadup to the tour, Dravid said the middle-order batter is in a "really good space". He added that he has had "positive" chats with him and that the Mumbaikar has been training well too.

In a pre-series virtual press conference, Dravid said:

"Conversations with Ajinkya Rahane have been very positive, have been very good. I think he has trained really well this week, practiced really well. It's been no different to actually any conversations with most of the players. And ya, he seems to be in a really good space."

Dravid sees this tour more as an opportunity for all players irrespective of their form. When asked about how easy or difficult it would be for him to drop non-performing players in conditions that are arduous for batting, he said the team aren't 'scared' to make tough calls, but won't be carried away by anything either.

Dravid said:

"I look at it as a great opportunity for anyone for that matter whether you are in form or out of form... It's always something you look forward to as a batsman, to be honest, playing in conditions away from home and having that opportunity to do well and test yourself against a really good opposition in their home conditions. I think a lot of your career is defined by those kinds of performances"

The former captain added:

"It's never easy to leave out players. We've got some real quality in our squad. You know, every one of the 18 players we are carrying here is a really good player. Obviously, we have to make decisions and only 11 can play and sometimes we have to make [tough] calls. It's just the way it is, we are not scared to make those calls and those decisions. But we won't be carried away and make decisions as well."

India will play three Tests in South Africa, the only place where they haven't won a Test series ever. India won their first Test in the Rainbow Nation under Dravid's leadership and since then have won just two more. Their last victory came in 2018 when Virat Kohli's men won the final match in Johannesburg, but lost the rubber by a 2-1 margin.

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"Everyone has been fantastic about it" - Rahul Dravid on tough conversations with players

Dravid further said that players like Ishant Sharma, whose spots in the team are under pressure from youngsters like Mohammed Siraj understand the team's situation well and are responsive to the collective needs. He weighed on the importance of communication with the players, saying everyone has been 'fantastic' about handling the disappointment of not being in the playing 11.

Dravid argued:

"They understand situations, it's not the first time they have been in situations like that. A lot of them have been in senior positions in their state teams and are part of decision-making groups and they leave out people, pick people. I think people understand that as long as you can communicate and give them the reasons for it."

He added:

"I don't expect everyone to be not disappointed because... one of the things that make people successful at this level is you want to be playing and competing, be a part of the action and you don't want to sit out. But how you take that fact that you have to sit out and how you respond to that, that's really a test of your attitude and so far I have had no complaints and everyone has been fantastic about it."

The first bowl will be delivered at 1:30 PM IST in Centurion on Sunday.