India head coach Rahul Dravid on Sunday (19th June) expressed his excitement for the Test against Ben Stokes-led England side, which is playing good cricket at the moment.
India is slated to play the final match of the five-Test series, which was postponed last year due to COVID-19, from July 1 at Edgbaston. The visitors are leading the series 2-1 and are on the verge of creating the history.
Both sides will have different captains this time. While India will be led by Rohit Sharma, England will play under the leadership of Ben Stokes and both the teams will be keen to put their best performances as not only the series is on the line but WTC points are on the stake as well.
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Senior players of the Indian side have already arrived in England and have begun their preparations for the match. Head coach Dravid, who was with the white-ball team in India, ahead of his departure to the country talked about the one-off Test match against England.
Speaking to media ahead in Bengaluru on Sunday, Rahul Dravid said that it’s going to be exciting for them WTC points are also on the line. He highlighted that the players are keen to win the series.
“In terms of the Test match, it is going to be exciting. For us it is a one-off Test match, but it's WTC points. It's a series on the line for the guys who played a part in it [last year], and they are very keen to try and win that series and do well. So looking forward to that,” Rahul Dravid said.
Dravid lavished praise on England, saying that the Ben Stokes-led side is really playing good cricket.
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"It is always lovely a Test match in England; the crowds are going to be fantastic. You expect really good crowds in England when you play Test cricket there. And England is playing really well at the moment. I mean they are playing really good cricket,” he said.
Dravid admitted that England was on the backfoot last year but they are back on the track now, having beaten New Zealand in the ongoing home series.
"It's probably a bit different to when we were there last year when England was probably a little bit on the back foot. But they have played a couple of good games [against New Zealand], and we have got a pretty good squad as well. Hopefully, it will be a good match. [I] love watching Test cricket, love playing it, love coaching it. Looking forward to it," he said.
(India Today inputs)
