Dravid, considered one of India’s finest batsmen, maintained that playing in Australia was different from England, where India struggled to score in the last three Tests, and the batsmen could get the runs flowing if they managed to settle themselves at the crease.
“I think it’s going to be a great challenge for India, I think Australia is a fantastic place to play cricket, especially in summer because of the nature of the wickets and the kind of crowds that come to watch the Test matches. Obviously you expect the wickets to have pace, bounce and good carry. Well, it’s not the easiest challenge.
“One of the good things about playing in Australia is that the wickets are true so if you do get set, unlike England where the ball can swing and seam sometimes throughout the day, once you get set in Australia, you can score runs. It think it is a great challenge and there are lot of learnings from the Australian tour,” Dravid was quoted as saying in a report by Firstpost.com.
India suffered a humiliating 0-4 Test series defeat during their previous visit to Australia in 2011-12, but Dravid was positive that the current squad could turn things around in the upcoming tour.
“I am hoping there will be better results. If you look at India’s record over the last three series, we came close in South Africa, we came close in New Zealand and then we won a Test match in England. So I think that’s positive. At least I feel that they are going in the right direction.
“They have got the experience, this young team, but it’s not going to be easy. I am not going to be standing here and saying India will win the series. But I am hoping they put up a good performance,” said Dravid, who retired from international cricket after the disastrous 2011-12 tour.
Speaking on the fortunes of skipper Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara, both of whom had faltered in the England tour earlier in the year, Dravid said that the two needed to know where their off stump would be, along with having a strong mental attitude as well as working on their back foot.
“I think the real challenges are going to be again on and outside the off stump and the bounce that you have to counter. So knowing where your off stump is is going to be critically important even in Australia. Because, if you play balls on fifth stump, there is a good chance that you might actually end up nicking to the slips and edges do carry there,” added Dravid.
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