Ganesh Kendale
NEW DELHI: Former head coach Rahul Dravid on Sunday reunited with India captain Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, and Virat Kohli at the Chinnaswamy Stadium ahead of the first Test against New Zealand starting on October 16 in Bengaluru.
Even after stepping down as head coach, Dravid remains a revered figure in Indian cricket, and his presence at the practice session brought a sense of nostalgia and inspiration.
Dravid, known for his astute cricketing mind and calm demeanour, was seen sharing lighter moments with Rohit, Kohli and Pant. Dravid’s presence added motivation as Team India prepares to face New Zealand in the challenging three-match Test series.
The second Test will take place in Pune starting October 24, while the third and final Test will be held in Mumbai from November 1.
The series against New Zealand will be a real test for Team India ahead of their all-important five-match Test series against Australia for Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Newly-appointed Kiwi Test skipper Tom Latham is also gearing up for his first tour as a full-time leader against India. He took over the role from Tim Southee, who stepped down last week.
Latham, 32, has led the team in nine matches till date, but this will be his first series as a permanent captain.
India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has been named Rohit’s deputy for the New Zealand series. The move indicated Bumrah’s potential promotion to a leadership role when the team heads to Australia next month after reports emerged that Rohit could miss one of the first two Test matches Down Under owing to personal reasons.
Young pace sensation Mayank Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna were also named as travelling reserves for the NZ series.
