Head coach Rahul Dravid has a message for Team India’s non-performers in the just-concluded ODI series in South Africa, where the Proteas hammered them 3-0. They would be given a consistent run in the XI, but at the same time, they are expected to deliver for the team, Dravid emphasised.
Speaking at the post-match news conference after India lost the third and final ODI at Newlands in Cape Town by four runs on Sunday, Dravid said: “We certainly want to give them that consistent run and we want to give them that security.
“The idea is to give as much stability as you can. But once you give them that security, you have also got to demand performances from them, really big performances as that’s an expectation they have to deal with when they play at this level.
“When you play for your country, you have to put in big performances and that’s a requirement.”
Dismal showing by the middle-order batsmen is one of the reasons behind India’s series defeat. Shreyas Iyer, who hogged the limelight after his century on Test debut versus New Zealand last November, was unable to contribute in any of the three matches, aggregating only 54 in the series.
Tackling extra bounce has been his problem in the past, but the conditions at Boland Park in Paarl that hosted the first two ODIs were more familiar for India. So Shreyas should certainly have done better in those couple of matches and tried to make an impact.
Dravid agreed that someone like Shreyas needs to put his hand up and perform considering the immense competition for slots in the middle order. “Whether you bat at Nos. 4, 5 or 6, you’ve got to know what the team’s requirements are.
“Shreyas has gone in pretty early in all three games and he has had enough time out there in the middle,” Dravid pointed out. “We know guys have done well and we would like to back them as much as possible.
“Sometimes, they will have good tours and sometimes, it won’t be possible. That’s just the way it is.
“Obviously, there tends to be a lot of competition with people pushing for places and it’s not easy in that kind of a situation,” he added.
