New Delhi: Young pacer Chetan Sakariya opened up on playing under Rahul Dravid’s guidance on his debut series for India. Sakariya, who got into the limelight after a consistent show in the first half of IPL 2021, got his maiden India call-up for the Sri Lanka tour last month, where he got to play two T20Is and an ODI.
Sakariya, with his clever change of pace, impressed many in IPL while playing for Rajasthan Royals in his debut season. The 23-year-old got a chance to play under Dravid’s guidance on his maiden tour, as the legendary India batsman was appointed coach for the tour in absence of Ravi Shastri. India tasted success in the ODI series with a 2-1 win but the T20Is didn’t go in their favour after the COVID-19 outbreak in the team. India suffered a 1-2 series defeat in T20Is but young players like Sakariya got a chance to represent themselves.
The 23-year-old revealed that Dravid hands out a chart paper to every player where he mentions the strong points and areas where a player can make improvement.
“Rahul sir hands out a chart paper which has all the details about a player’s game; what are their strong points, where they can improve. He gave one to me as well and asked me to focus on those parts. He believes that every player has their own strengths, and likewise my bowling style is entirely different to all the other players,” Sakariya told IndiaTV.
Sakariya also talked about what Dravid noticed in his bowling during the practice session.
“He noted during a practice session that the ball leaves from my hand with slow pace, but it skids rapidly off the surface which makes it difficult for the batsmen sometimes.”
The left-arm pacer further recalled the moment when Dravid informed him about getting a place in the third ODI against Sri Lanka.
“Rahul sir indicated a day before the game that I could make my debut. After the end of the second ODI, Rahul sir came to me while we were practicing and told me to be ready. I had an idea then that I may get a chance and I prepared myself accordingly, Finally, when we reached the ground for the final ODI, I found out that I would be playing. Rahul sir personally told me,” added Sakariya.