Rahul Dravid Calls for Tougher Pitches as Flat Tracks Continue to Hurt Bowlers

New Delhi, May 12: Former India head coach and batting legend Rahul Dravid believes increasingly flat pitches in T20 cricket are making life extremely difficult for bowlers and has called for more challenging surfaces to restore balance in the game.

Speaking during an interaction with PTI from Dublin, Dravid said the modern T20 game has tilted heavily in favour of batters, with bowlers needing additional support from conditions.

"They may need a little bit of support and I think the way is probably to have a little more challenging wickets to ensure that there are something in it for the bowlers," Dravid said.

'Flat Tracks Are Tilting the Balance'

The former India captain explained that batting standards have improved dramatically in recent years, leaving bowlers struggling to keep up.

With batters regularly posting 200-plus totals and attacking from the very first over, Dravid believes pitch preparation has become a crucial factor.

"Whether it is the tracks that turn or whether it is a little bit more pace and bounce that give the bowlers a little bit more of a chance," he added.

His comments come at a time when high-scoring T20 matches have become increasingly common across franchise leagues, including the Indian Premier League.

Boundary Sizes Can't Increase Further

Dravid also pointed out that increasing boundary sizes is no longer a practical solution.

"Because I don't think we can increase the size of the boundaries and already there is no space to go and increase the size of the boundaries," he said.

As batting power, bat technology and aggressive intent continue to evolve, many experts believe bowlers are being left with fewer defensive options.

Bowlers Still Have Hope, Says Dravid

Despite the current batting domination in white-ball cricket, Dravid remains optimistic that bowlers will eventually adapt.

"I still think that in the next couple of years we may see bowlers bounce back a little bit and start getting a little bit more of a swing," he said.

Interestingly, Dravid contrasted the T20 format with Test cricket, where he believes bowlers currently hold the upper hand.

"If you look at Test cricket today, nearly every Test match produces a result. So, I think bowlers are probably holding the sway in some of the Test matches that we are seeing," he explained.

Cricket Needs Balance

Dravid stressed that cricket should never become excessively tilted toward either batters or bowlers.

"I think at some stage we don't want the balance to be too skewed either way, either on the side of the batsmen or the side of the bowlers," he concluded.

His comments are likely to reignite the debate around pitch preparation, playing conditions and whether modern T20 cricket is becoming too batter-friendly.