Former Indian cricket captain Rahul Dravid has backed MS Dhoni as the current captain of the team but felt the selectors can, in the near future, consider reducing his work load in one format, says a report in The Hindu.
“From his own personal point of view, you also want to see the best of Dhoni as a player. He has a lot to contribute as a batsman and wicketkeeper and we want to see the best of that. I don’t think we want to lose that and if that means at some stage, maybe the time’s not right now but in the near future, we have to relieve him of the responsibility from one format to get the best out of him as a player then I think the selectors have to take that call,” Dravid said.
On India’s eight successive loss in Test matches, Dravid said, “Dhoni has every right to survive it, because he’s Dhoni. He has had a disappointing last year but he has won India a World Cup, we’ve been the No. 1 Test side under Dhoni. If you put pressure on him so early in the piece, or if you try to change someone like Dhoni now, I don’t think you’ll get to see what he’s learned from the last year.”
On Virat Kohli being looked as a future captain, he said, “In the next 12 months, if he has the kind of 12 months he has had and establishes himself in all three formats of the game; people are going to seriously have to look at him.”
Meanwhile, a different report in The Hindu reports that Rahul Dravid is continuing to face criticism from unexpected quarter — his two sons.
“I think that truly proves the saying that, in our country, everyone is a cricket critic. I now know the price of onions, tomatoes and sugar on a more or less weekly basis. I am an enthusiastic participant in parent-teacher meetings and in homework sessions, renewing my appreciation for simple routines of lives, rare luxuries during the humdrum life in professional cricket,” Dravid said.
Remembering his playing days, Dravid said that cricket has made him a better, well-rounded person, “On the flip side, my aspiration was always to leave the game better than I found it. I tried my very best to live up to that standard and by playing with integrity and pride. I feel I was able to achieve some of these goals on my own, very personal way,” he said.
