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Cricket Players'Happens to everyone': Dravid rallies behind Kohli & Rahane, says 'just a matter of time' before they score big
While the pace unit looks dominant at the moment, the volatile form of India's batting mainstays remains a major concern.
After India's first-ever Test win in Centurion, the action now shifts to Johannesburg where the Virat Kohli-led unit will look to seal the country's maiden Test series win in the Rainbow nation. India were in total control in the Test series opener with the Indian pace quarter taking 18 wickets to crush the home batting unit. South Africa failed to get past 200 in either of the two innings as India brought down Supersport Park, which had been a Proteas' citadel for the longest time.
While the pace unit looks dominant at the moment, the volatile form of India's batting mainstays remains a major concern. The trio of skipper Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane has failed to achieve consistency with the willow.
Head coach Rahul Dravid perhaps would not want any changes to their winning combination but the Indian team will aim to conceal their middle-order flaws. While Kohli's wait of 71st international ton seems to be a never-ending affair, the Pujara-Rahane duo has been plagued with inconsistency. Rahane redeemed himself with 48 & 20 at the SuperSport Park but Pujara's batting woes multiplied after he scored 0 and 16 in the two innings.
The Indian batting unit will be put to test at Wanderers surface but head coach Rahul Dravid has backed the under-fire batters to convert their starts into big scores. "You feel you're batting well but big scores don't come. Happens to everyone. The good point is they seem to be batting well, getting start and they know to convert. It's just a matter of time. They are in good space," said Dravid in the pre-match press conference.
He also rallied behind Pujara, underlining the "tough" position where the Saurashtra player bats. Pujara ended the year with 702 runs in 14 Tests at an average of 28.08. He is also searching for a three-figure score, having notched up his last international ton back in 2019 during the historic Test series Down Under.
"He is doing the best he can. Certainly he'd like to score more. It's not about being worried, it is about the position he bats which is a bit tough. When Pujara scores big, India wins," Dravid further said.
Talking about the surface, the ex-India skipper said that it looks like a “typical” Wanderers wicket where batting gets tough as the Test progresses.
“Haven't looked much at the weather. The pitch looks good. Typical Wanderers wicket, might flatten out a bit. Batting could get tough towards the end. Generally a result wicket at the Wanderers.”
India boast an impressive record at the Wanderers stadium, having never lost a Test match. In five Tests played at Johannesburg, India have won twice and drawn thrice.
"It's a quicker pitch but maybe the bounce is not as it has been at Centurion. Generally weathers at Wanderers holds five days," said Dravid.
