Former India captain and National Cricket Academy Director Rahul Dravid has said that during his stint as coach with India ‘A’ teams, he made sure that all the players who travelled with him were given a chance to showcase their talents.
“I tell them upfront, if you come on an A tour with me, you will not leave here without playing a game. I’ve had that personal experience myself as a kid: going on an A tour and not getting an opportunity to play is terrible,” Dravid told ESPNcricinfo.
The former cricketer further said that it was harsh on players to not get international exposure after scoring runs or picking wickets at the domestic level.
“You’ve done well, you scored 700-800 runs, you go, and you don’t get a chance to show what you’re good at. And then you’re back to square one from the selectors’ point of view, because the next season you have to score those 800 runs again,” he said.
The former skipper lauded the bench strength that has been created in the Indian team. "There's a good bench strength being developed and I think it gives people a lot of confidence that there are players, if the situation arises, who are in good touch and playing well," Dravid said.
One of Dravid’s successful stints as a coach came in 2018 when India lifted the U19 World Cup under the captaincy of Prithvi Shaw. He doesn’t travel with the U19 and ‘A’ teams anymore but will be the head coach for the Indian side that will tour Sri Lanka in July.