Rahul Dravid explains why he wouldn't have survived being a modern-day cricketer

Former Indian cricket captain Rahul Dravid recently made a modest claim that he would not have survived in modern-day cricket. The 164-Test veteran announced his international retirement in 2012 after aggregating 13,288 runs in the format at an average of 52.31 since his debut in 1996. Rahul Dravid is widely regarded as one of the finest batsmen India ever produced in all formats as the cricketer often stood tall and defied opposition bowling attacks through grit and resilience.

Also Read | Virat Kohli Meets Rahul Dravid, Social Media Is Left Love-struck

Rahul Dravid talks about Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and modern-day Test cricket

Rahul Dravid was recently involved in an interview with Sanjay Manjrekar on ESPNCricinfo. In the interview, the former cricketer claimed that he “wouldn’t have survived today” if he batted the same way with which he did during his playing days. He cited his low strike-rate as the reason by saying that batting in Test matches has become more aggressive these days due to an increase in the number of T20s and limited-overs fixtures. However, he maintained that a defensive batting technique will never become redundant in Tests even though its value is gradually “decreasing”.

Rahul Dravid stated that the Indian Test team will always require a calm and composed batsman like Cheteshwar Pujara even though the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma “have blown the ODI paradigm to an all new level”. The veteran cricketer said as for himself, he never minded being called a defensive batsman because he believes it was his job to grind out bowlers by occupying long hours at the crease. Rahul Dravid added that he took great pride in his role while admitting to batting with “determination and concentration”.

Also Read | After Contempraries Virat Kohli And Rohit Sharma, Steve Smith Also Opposes 4-day Test

Rahul Dravid maintained that he cannot compare himself to all-format Indian specialists’ like captain Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma by saying he always wanted to become a Test player. The former skipper stated that the value of defensive batting is decreasing in Test cricket because cricketers these days can survive and make a career by playing T20s and ODIs, where attacking the bowlers is a batsmen’s go-to option.

Apart from praising Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, Rahul Dravid also commended the likes of New Zealand captain Kane Williamson and Australian maverick batter Steve Smith. He was of the opinion that cricketers like Kane Williamson, Steve Smith, Virat Kohli have excelled in limited-overs formats all the while having a good defensive technique for Test match batting as well.

Also Read | Virat Kohli And Steve Smith Spill The Beans On What They Eat After Scoring Hundreds

Also Read | Rahul Dravid's Historic 233 Ranked 3rd Amongst Best Test Innings In Australia Since 2000

Image credits: ICC-CRICKET.COM