IND vs NZ: Head coach Rahul Dravid bowls off-spin in nets ahead of the first Test

The focus shifts from T20Is to Test matches as India gear up to take on New Zealand in a two-match Test series, starting from Thursday (November 25). The opening clash takes place at the Green Park in Kanpur and both teams would be raring to make a mark. After all, their last meeting in the longest format was a historic one.

India and New Zealand battled it out in the inaugural World Test Championship final earlier this year, where the Kiwis walked away with an emphatic eight-wicket triumph. On this occasion, however, India have the home advantage, and defeating them on turning tracks would take some beating. Speaking of turn, an intruiging off-spinner was spotted bowling at Indian team nets ahead of the opening Test.

He was none other than the side’s head coach Rahul Dravid. In a video posted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) official Twitter page on Wednesday (November 24), Dravid was spotted rolling his arm over. “Some right-arm off-spin anyone? That moment when #TeamIndia Head Coach Rahul Dravid rolled his arm over in the nets,” BCCI wrote while captioning the clip.

Rahul Dravid has five wickets in international cricket

The comment section got flooded in no time as fans were delighted to see the cricket legend in action. Although Dravid is prominently for his batting blitzes over the 22 yards, he has also contributed with the ball on some rare occasions. He finished his international career with five wickets – four in ODIs and a solitary scalp in Test matches.

Meanwhile, Dravid won’t contribute with either bat or ball in the upcoming series. However, the veteran would be critical to India’s success. Also, this is his first Test assignment as India’s head coach and he would be determined to get a fruitful result. It has to be noted that India’s leadership group has some brainstorming to do with many prominent players being unavailable.

While the likes of Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah have been rested for the entire series, regular skipper Virat Kohli will give first Test a miss before returning for the second fixture. Hence, it would be interesting to see how Ajinkya Rahane’s men tackle the challenge in the first Test.