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Will Test captain Virat Kohli take note of Rahul Dravid's message?

Chennai, Aug 17: India's new Test captain Virat Kohli has always emphasised on playing aggressive cricket. But what former skipper and batting legend Rahul Dravid has said, could well serve the Indian team well in Sri Lanka as they aim to bounce back in the 3-Test series.

On Saturday (August 15), Kohli-led side slumped to a shock 63-run defeat to Sri Lanka at Galle while chasing 176. From a winning position on the 3rd day, Indians were stunned by left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, who took 7 wickets on the penultimate day of the Test.

File photo: Dravid (left) and Kohli during a training session in Chennai recently

Dravid, who is now the coach of India A team, said, in cricket, result is what matters and not how you play - whether it is aggressive or passive.

"Aggressive, passive is judged by the results you give. Cricket is about performance. It's about scoring runs and taking wickets. And how do you do it? There is no set formula," Dravid told "The Indian Express" today (August 17).

"The history of cricket shows you that people have succeeded with different techniques and styles. If you can score a hundred, run a ball, then go ahead and do it. And if you average 50, as Viru (Virender Sehwag) did for a large part of his career, then fantastic, that's how you play.

"The problem arises when you are not able to score in that manner, then you need to change. Look at the way the guys averaging 50 played - they all played differently. What matters is success. If you don't find success than you need to change," he added.

Dravid's comments came when he was asked about how tough it was for aggressive batsmen to change. Under Dravid's guidance, India A won the 'A' tri-series one-day tournament beating Australia A by 4 wickets in the final.

"Not at all. I don't find any need to do anything different. I know I have been criticised a lot for being aggressive at times but that is something that has given me success as an individual and that is something that we believe in as a team as well," Kohli had said before the Sri Lanka series.

Before travelling to Sri Lanka, Kohli had prepared for the Test series by playing for India A against Australia A in a 4-day unofficial 'Test'.

As India prepare for the 2nd Test starting on August 20 in Colombo, Dravid's words might help.

OneIndia News

Story first published: Thursday, August 3, 2017, 7:27 [IST]
Other articles published on Aug 3, 2017