Rahul Dravid would not mind additional teams in the IPL simply because the tournament has always nurtured talent and that in turn has helped Indian cricket.

On the sidelines of the official release of A New Innings, a book written by Rajasthan Royals owner Manoj Badale and analyst Simon Hughes, former India captain Dravid said: “I don’t know the financial side of it, but from purely a cricketing perspective, I think we are ready for an expansion.

“There’s some incredible talent coming through in our country who are just waiting for an opportunity. They are sitting outside in a lot of these teams, because the quality of the cricket is so good and there are so many good, experienced players in these sides. You will see a lot of new names coming up if only they get the opportunity, because from the talent perspective, they are ready.”

Dravid, who led Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals in his playing days, also highlighted how the IPL lets the youngsters rub shoulders with the best.

“The IPL not only gives these talents the platform to showcase their skills but also it is an opportunity for a (Devdutt) Padikkal to bat with Virat Kohli and learn from AB de Villiers, which is priceless.

“As much as we can do as coaches and help them in their journeys, we see this as a great opportunity for them to develop and grow as cricketers and as a person as well. It’s not easy to give them these experiences in a domestic competition.”

Back home: Rohit Sharma with his family on arrival at Mumbai airport from the UAE. Rohit, who was included in the Test squad after being initially ignored by the selectors for a left hamstring injury, will undergo rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore. He will join the squad in Australia ahead of the first Test in Adelaide, starting December 17, pending a fitness test. He suffered the injury on October 18 during the Mumbai Indians’ match against Kings XI Punjab in Dubai. He missed the team’s next four games, but came back for the last three, helping them seal their fifth IPL title. Yogen Shah