Rahul Dravid, who is a brand ambassador for Gillette, was in Mumbai for an event on Tuesday. On the occasion, Dravid interacted with representatives of the media.
On being asked about Sachin Tendulkar's comments on Greg Chappell, Dravid said that it was hard for him to comment on the issue as it involved a private conversation between Sachin and Chappell.
On Monday, Sachin Tendulkar had slammed ex-Indian coach Greg Chappell, calling him a 'ringmaster' and alleging that the Australian wanted Rahul Dravid replaced by Sachin Tendulkar as captain. Since then, Rahul Dravid is being questioned about his reaction to Tendulkar's outburst.
"I don't really want to make a comment. I will read the book first and then if I feel like making some observations, I will. I hadn't heard about this conversation before", he added.
When Dravid was asked his opinion on Chappell traveling with the team for the 2007 World Cup (which Sachin had opposed) the Test great continued to be diplomatic.
"I don't know in what context Sachin said that he felt Chappell should not travel with the side, so it's hard to make a comment. I will wait to see what the context was rather than responding to snippets. In any case, I do not need to comment on every single thing Sachin Tendulkar says", Dravid said evasively.
The interaction then shifted to India's tour of Australia coming up in December. India play in Australia for the first time since the acrimonious 2011-12 series. India will be without its stalwarts - Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman for the first time.
When asked about the challenges of playing in Australia, where Dravid has played some unforgettable innings, Dravid said Australia was a different challenge altogether.
"I think it's gonna be a great challenge to play in Australia in the summer. The wickets will have pace, bounce and carry. It's not easy, but the wickets are true. Unlike in England, where the ball can swing and seam throughout the day, once you settle down on an Australian wicket you can score runs with confidence. There is a lot of learning to be had on a tour of Australia irrespective of the result. I always came back from a tour of Australia feeling that I had been in a great contest", said Dravid.
Dravid also hoped that the series result this time would be better than on the previous tour, where India were whitewashed 0-4.
"If you look at India's record over the last 3 series, we came close in South Africa and New Zealand and won a Test in England. But it will not be easy. I am not going to say that India will win the series. We did very well in the first part of the England tour, but the later part of the series was a problem. I hope we play some really competitive cricket", Dravid replied.
Talking about Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara, who failed in England, Dravid said it is important to know where your off stump was. He said that confidence and having a strong backfoot game was important to succeed in Australia.
Dravid also said that the young Indian side needed time to perform. "It is like the team we had in the late 1990s and early 2000s. You need to have patience. You may see some tough results, but there are some really good players."
Dravid supported rookie batsman KL Rahul's candidature for a place in the squad to Australia. "I think Rahul has done really well this year. He's got over 1000 runs this season and twin centuries in the Duleep Trophy. So if he gets an opportunity he should be able to do well", Dravid opined, signing off.
Also Read: VVS Laxman backs Sachin Tendulkar, says Greg Chappell took team backwards
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