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Rahul Dravid's presence will help bowlers too: Duncan Fletcher

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Indian team coach Duncan Fletcher said Rahul Dravid's presence with the team in England will not only help the batsmen but also the inexperienced bowlers.

The Indian cricket board last week requested former India skipper to help the team and provide his expertise for the crucial tour at the behest of the Indian team management.

"People would think I have called him to help the batsmen. But actually it's as much for the bowlers. What people don't understand is that the bowlers think like bowlers. I want Rahul to talk to them and make them think like batsmen. That way they will know what areas a batsman likes and doesn't like, which will help them a great deal in forming their strategies," Fletcher told the BCCI website in an interview.

"The problem is that the Indian bowlers don't bat or practice batting when they're playing domestic cricket. And so, while they understand their bowling, they don't understand batting. Rahul can play a role right through. His approach and his character is so good. I've really enjoyed talking cricket with Rahul, I really rated him and wanted him back in the side for sometime now," he added.

The 65-year-old also revealed that his boys were "over-confident" before South Africa and New Zealand tour. "For us, the most important thing is that they are confident, which comes from the environment where everyone feels like they are contributing to the team. That makes each player feel like they're an important part of the team. With these young boys I felt they could have been a little over-confident when they went to South Africa and New Zealand because they had done so well in India," he said.

However, Fletcher believed that the players have become positive after the previous overseas tours. "As the series went, it made them realise that playing away from home is very difficult. They believe that they have learnt from those tours and so there is positivity in the camp but the over-confidence has gone. But again, until you actually go out there and play a game, you will never know if you actually have learnt."

Fletcher also rubbished the fact that Indian batsmen are vulnerable against short ball. "I think the matter has been over-exaggerated because most of the boys play the short ball well. The problem is that because there is this label against them, as soon as something goes wrong, fingers start getting pointed. Even if you're a good player of the short ball, you are going to get out to it. Ricky Ponting was one of the best and still got out hooking and pulling. It's just a label that's attached to the Indians and people want to keep it on because it gives them a convenient story," he said.

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