Former Indian skipper Rahul Dravid, who was giving his expert opinion in a video interview alongside ex-fast bowler Ajit Agarkar to ESPNcrinfo, revealed mystery spinner Kuldeep Yadav could come good for India in 2019 World Cup if given a chance, adding the youngster, should be given more time to work hard and deceive the batsmen with his bagful of tricks.
“It is nice to have Kuldeep Yadav coming in. He needs to be given a lot more game time. He has got ability; he has got a bit of mystery about him,” Dravid was quoted by ESPNcrinfo.
The 50-over World Cup is scheduled in England and Wales which is expected to kick start in May, as Dravid reveals cricket is being played on the placid surfaces and wicket taking option becomes quite difficult.
“It is tough on them, and it is not happening. We are playing on really flat wickets,” Dravid maintained.
The 44-year-old former top-order batsman, whose contract as a coach for India’s junior teams came to an end in March this year, added the 23-year-old Yadav could play an important role.
The Indore-born stalwart Dravid further believes even the flat wickets could help the mystery spinner to bag wickets which is further subjected to the fielding positions.
“If you want wickets in the middle, wrist spinners and mystery spinners are the ones who look like taking wickets on some of these flat wickets with the fielding restrictions,” Dravid added.
While expressing the concern in the middle-order, Dravid stated India need replacements owing to the form and fitness while adding it’s too early to write-off senior campaigners Mahendra Singh Dhoni and left-handed swashbuckling batsman Yuvraj Singh.
“It is a call that is got to be taken by the selectors and the management,” Dravid further added.
As India will play five one-day Internationals and a solitary Twenty20 against Windies which will kick start on June 23, Dravid stated he is hopeful to find youngsters being given a chance, as he further expects more players make most of the opportunities being given to them at the earliest.
“They have taken a decision to go to the West Indies with a full-strength squad. I really hope they are willing to experiment at least in the playing XI and give more opportunities to people,” Dravid concluded.
Dravid has played 164 Tests for India in which he had scored 13,288 runs at the staggering average of 52.31. He smashed 36 hundreds and 63 fifties in the longer format.
Known as ‘The Wall’ Dravid featured in 344 One-day Internationals in which he had amassed 10,899 runs at an average of 39.16 which further included 12 hundreds and 83 fifties.