‘Exceptional’ New Zealand Has Changed Narrative, Says Rahul Dravid

Nov 17, 2021 at 5:31 PM

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‘Exceptional’ New Zealand Has Changed Narrative, Says Rahul Dravid

Rahul Dravid, India’s new head coach, has stated that every team competing against New Zealand knows how big a team they are.

With a little over 24 hours prior to the first India and New Zealand T20I in Jaipur, head coach Rahul Dravid and skipper Rohit Sharma addressed their first press conference together. They answered questions on a range of topics, and one of them included talking about their opponents New Zealand and the reputation they hold.

Rahul Dravid Photo Credit: PTI
Rahul Dravid Photo Credit: PTI

Rahul Dravid: Narrative To Term New Zealand Underdogs Has Changed Over The Past Few Years

The Black Caps, the ‘nice guys of cricket’, is often considered the ‘underdogs’. The term has been in existence for so long now, despite the side winning WTC 2021 and finishing runners-up in the 2015 and 2019 50-over World Cups, besides the recently concluded 2021 T20 World Cup, that it has ended up becoming a “fashionable” statement; one far from reality. Speaking on the topic, India’s new head coach Rahul Dravid has stated that the narrative has changed over the last few years.

“New Zealand is a very good side, make no mistake about it. Their performance over the last few years has been exceptional, I think it has become fashionable to call them underdogs in every tournament but honestly, I think the narrative has changed, they enter the tournament, from outside point, they would be underdog but I am sure internally teams which compete against them, know they are going to be a top contender in any tournament they play in,” said Rahul Dravid.

New Zealand cricket team. (Credits: Twitter)
New Zealand cricket team. (Credits: Twitter)

Rahul Dravid added: “New Zealand is well led and they are well prepared. They have beaten India in recent tournaments, this is a fact. But here lies a good opportunity for us to keep getting better and hopefully, we get an opportunity against them in a big tournament, we put one over them.”

The two sides will be without their talismans skippers Virat Kohli, and Kane Williamson, as both the modern-day greats, have decided to take a break from this format and return for the Test series. Moreover, this will be the teams’ second meeting in less than 3 weeks. They last met in the Super 12 stage of the T20 World Cup, with the Kiwis winning the contest by eight wickets.

Ruturaj Gaikwad, Avesh Khan, Venkatesh Iyer, And Harshal Patel Will Be Eager To Do Well Against New Zealand In 3 T20Is

The likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Avesh Khan, Venkatesh Iyer, and Harshal Patel will be eager to perform on the big stage.  India will enter a new era in Jaipur when they take the field against New Zealand in the first T20I. This will be their first match with Rahul Dravid as head coach and Rohit Sharma as the permanent T20I captain.

Avesh Khan has been instrumental in Delhi Capitals’ early success in IPL 2021. Image: BCCI
Avesh Khan has been instrumental in Delhi Capitals’ early success in IPL 2021. Image: BCCI

The BCCI, a few days back, announced a very different-looking squad for T20Is, one devoid of regulars like Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, and Ravindra Jadeja, to name a few.

With 24 wickets in 16 matches, Avesh Khan was the second-most successful bowler in the recently-concluded IPL 2021. For Delhi Capitals, Avesh Khan was the find of the season. Moreover, he was also a part of India’s red-ball squad in England. Keeping all these factors in mind, he could be in line to make his T20I debut ahead of Harshal Patel, the highest wicket-taker of IPL 2021, and Mohammed Siraj.

Venkatesh Iyer, who was a sensation in the second leg of the IPL 2021 in the UAE, has earned his maiden India call-up. Venkatesh Iyer scored 320 runs in 10 games at an average of 41.11 and a strike rate of 128.47, including four half-centuries. He finished as KKR’s fourth-highest run-scorer.

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