EXCLUSIVE: Former India captain and legendary batsman Rahul Dravid has congratulated the India team for their series win over Australia, but warned his compatriots that there are tougher tests ahead that will more accurately reflect their standing in world cricket.
India bounced back from a home Test series defeat to England – which followed a highly disappointing 2012 season – by delivering an emphatic series win over Australia; achieving an unassailable 3-0 lead with two Tests to play.
It represents a remarkable turnaround for both the India team and their previously under pressure captain MS Dhoni, making a potential return to the top of the Test world rankings a far stronger possibility than it seemed 12 months ago.
However, Dravid, who is in Dubai as part of the MCC team competing at the Emirates Airline Twenty20 tournament this weekend, has warned against reading too much into India’s victory over Australia.
“The team has done an excellent job to win the series in the way they have. There are some exciting young players coming through that have performed very well and there have been lots of positives to focus on from an Indian perspective,” Dravid exclusively told Sport360.
“It was a series India needed to win considering the difficulties we’ve had over the last couple of years. This is a nice win for the coaching staff and the leadership team. It gives them a little bit of breathing space and some time to sit back and assess ahead of future series.”
But Dravid added: “Taking no credit away from India, because they have played very well, but it has been a good time to play Australia.
“Australia’s bowling attack, especially, has struggled in this series. They also have quite an inexperienced batting line-up but their bowlers, particularly the spinners, can’t be compared to say Graeme Swann or Monty Panesar.
“They are a team in transition, so I think it was a good time for India to be playing Australia before they settle on their team and establish their strongest side.”
Dravid, who retired from Test cricket in January last year after 164 matches and over 13,000 Test runs, believes a much better indication of India’s progression will be seen when the team hit the road in a succession of what is sure to be challenging series away from home soil.
“It’s only when India tour abroad and they see some positive improvement and results that they can start thinking about a possible return to world number one,” the 40-year-old explained. “They are far away from that at the moment.
“South Africa is by far the strongest Test team in the world, and India needs a lot of their young players who have done well in this series to start performing when they go abroad.
“The next three tours – of South Africa, New Zealand and England – will give us a much better indication of the direction India is heading in.”
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