Newly-appointed India T20 vice-captain KL Rahul on Monday hailed Rahul Dravid as "somebody who's big on setting a good team culture" where "everyone's putting the team ahead of personal goals." (More Cricket News)
Rahul Dravid-era begins with the New Zealand series, which starts with the first of three T20 Internationals on Wednesday (November 17) in Jaipur.
"He's somebody who's big on setting a good team culture and creating an atmosphere where people are thriving and trying to get better as people and as cricketers. He's always been a team man when he was playing, and that's the kind of culture he wants to bring in here as well, where everyone's putting the team ahead of personal goals," KL Rahul said in a press conference in Jaipur.
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India made an ignominious exit from the just-concluded ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021 after finishing third behind Pakistan and New Zealand in Group 2 of the Super 12 stage.
The failed campaign in the UAE, where Indian cricketers had been camping for the IPL, also coincided with the end of Ravi Shastri's tenure as the head coach of the national.
Now, India will look for a fresh start under Dravid, who oversaw the team's first practice session as the Rohit Sharma-led team prepares for the T20I series opener against the Kiwis.
Dravid, who was the head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, is widely credited for creating India's talent pool. But it will be a new challenge for Dravid even though his predecessor claimed that India already have one of the greatest teams.
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"When it comes to coaching, I've played a couple of games with the India A set-up [under Dravid], and we've had a small chat just before coming out here for training," Rahul added.
The home series against New Zealand will also see Rohit Sharma taking full charge of the T20 side. And Rahul sees a bright future under Rohit's leadership.
"We have all seen him [Rohit Sharma] in the IPL and his stats are for everybody to see. He has a great understanding of the game and tactically he is really good and that is why he has been able to achieve what he has as a leader.
"He will bring a lot of calm into the dressing room. The next few weeks will be exciting to know what kind of goals he has for the team and what kind of template we are looking to play."
Meanwhile, the New Zealand squad arrived in Jaipur on a charter flight. They lost to Australia in the final of the T20 World Cup in Dubai on Sunday. Nine members of the Test side, who were not part of the T20 squad, are already in India.
