Finding a way to bounce back after being challenged speaks about skills & resilience: Dravid to Indian team

After India beat England in the fifth and final Test at HPCA Stadium to secure a 4-1 series victory, head coach Rahul Dravid lauded the team for their ability to bounce back after being challenged at many points, pointing out that it speaks volumes about their skills and resilience.

In the series against England, India had lost the opening Test at Hyderabad by 28 runs. With no Mohammed Shami and Virat Kohli for the entire series, India then lost KL Rahul to right quadriceps injury, and went on to miss Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Siraj at various stages.

India handed debuts to Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Akash Deep and Devdutt Padikkal, who played vital roles alongside the already-selected members like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Kuldeep Yadav, captain Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Ravichandran Ashwin to propel the hosts’ to a memorable 4-1 series win over England.

"There were times in this series where we were really challenged, pushed and we found a way to bounce back. It just speaks to the skills, resilience and the character we have. On many occasions in this series, the games could've gone either way, but we always found people in this dressing room who stepped up and turned the game our way. That was fantastic.

"We not only need to win games where we have to fight and bounce back, but we have to also win the games where we are ahead and don't let the opposition come back. Well done on that as well, great stuff. We spoke about this in the start of the series as well, irrespective of whether we win or lose, this will teach us a lot," said Dravid in a video posted on bcci.tv.

Talking about the youngsters, Dravid hoped they would be together as a group and would help each other succeed in future assignments. "Five-match Test series, you are going to go through lots of ups and downs, you are going to be tested in a long series, and it is going to teach us a lot as players and as a team, and a lot about you as people. We have come through that exceptionally with flying colours. We faced challenges both on and off the field, but the way we stuck together as a group was absolutely phenomenal.

"For a lot of young guys, you are going to need each other to succeed. Whether you are a batter or a bowler, your success is tied in with other people's success. All of you are invested in each other's success, and that's really important going forward. Well done on that and as a young group going forward, I hope a lot of you will play for a long time and support each other and help each other grow as players."

Dravid, the former India skipper, also emphasised on the satisfying feeling the team should revel in on beating England and paid gratitude to the support staff for rallying around to help the side succeed. "Series wins like this have to be earned. This is tough; Test cricket is hard at times. It's hard in terms of your skills; it's hard physically and mentally. It's not easy, but there's great satisfaction at the end of it.

"The satisfaction we get on winning a series like this, coming from one behind, to be able to win four, is just phenomenal. There are going to be tougher challenges as we go forward; as long as we grow, learn and keep improving and stay tight as a unit, we will be fine.

"I want to thank and acknowledge the support staff. It has been a long season for all of us in the support staff, as we are now going into a break, so thank you to everyone. Thanks to our coaches, and everyone in the backroom staff for all the efforts that you have put in.

"It's a terrific bunch of professionals and I love working with you guys. Good luck, thank you everyone for the efforts that you've put in, proud of what you guys have achieved, it’s a privilege to work and coach you guys."

Captain Rohit Sharma made an appearance at the end and said, "I want to personally thank everyone for getting our act together, under-pressure, we wanted to respond. It wasn't possible if all of us didn't buy into the thought process. Extremely happy for that," he concluded.