By CricketCountry Staff
Former India pacer and bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad on Wednesday praised Rahul Dravid for showing high level of commitment and determination on the field, and said the middle-order batsman is enjoying his game.
Published: Nov 23, 2011, 05:09 PM (IST)
Edited: Nov 23, 2011, 05:09 PM (IST)
Venkatesh Prasad (L) said Rahul Dravid is really enjoying his game at the moment © AFP
By CricketCountry Staff
Sharjah: Nov 23, 2011
Former India pacer and bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad on Wednesday praised Rahul Dravid for showing high level of commitment and determination on the field, and said the middle-order batsman is enjoying his game.
“The secret of Rahul’s performance and consistency is his commitment and dedication towards his game. Two cricketers that I have seen who are really dedicated and committed are Rahul and Anil Kumble. They two are tremendous and are fine role models for any youngster,” Prasad said.
“I see Rahul really enjoying his game because I normally don’t see Rahul smiling when he is batting. Whatever I saw of his innings in the Kolkata Test I could see that he was enjoying his batting and talking to the non striker and even laughing and congratulating the other batsman,” he added.
“For Rahul to play like this not only in Indian conditions but even in English conditions where every single individual failed speaks volumes of his talent. He was the only one who was there holding the Indian team and holding the batting order and occupying the crease for long hours. This is simply because of his commitment, discipline and dedication towards the sport,” Prasad was quoted by Gulf News.
Prasad and Dravid played international cricket for India for about a decade and also represented their state Karnataka in the domestic tournaments.
As a development officer at the Asian Cricket Council, Prasad is currently on the tour of United Arab Emirates (UAE).
“There is pretty good talent here but they must play lot of matches. Players here cannot be as professional as the players in other countries like Pakistan, Sri Lanka or South Africa because the main sport here is football. For cricketers here they need a job and the only time they get to practice is after the working hours at 7pm,” he said.
“Despite all these hurdles there is still talent and they are doing well in the Asian region. Infrastructure is extremely important to develop cricket. I am really happy to see that a lot of grounds are being developed around Sharjah and I appreciate Mazhar Khan (Secretary Sharjah Cricket Council) for making it happen. I am happy that Abu Dhabi is also coming up with two more turf grounds other than the stadium.”
Prasad feels the associate and affiliate countries of the International Cricket Council (ICC) lack talent.
“It is really a challenge. Honestly speaking, in associate and affiliate countries there isn’t as much talent as in India or Pakistan. Having played cricket at the highest level I have to bring down my standards to really connect with the players,” Prasad expressed.
“What I feel here is that these guys must play as many matches as possible like matches between gulf countries and matches within Asian region. Once that happens then Asia can become a power. Already China is picking up the game and nations like UAE, Afghanistan and Nepal are coming up,” he added.
