Here¡¯s How Rahul Dravid Is Enhancing India's Bench Strength And Producing Match-Winning Players For The Country

Considering the amount of injuries suffered by Team India, it could easily have been a season of woes for them. But instead, the World's No.1 Test side has enjoyed a triumphant run in its lengthiest home season.

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Even more heartening has been the discovery of talented youngsters like off-spinning allrounder Jayant Yadav and now Karun Nair, who slammed a magnificent, unbeaten triple century in the Chennai Test. The discovery of these talented youngsters has helped India overcome the setback of losing key players to injuries at various stages.

While Yadav and Nair deserve all the credit for having adjusted to the high-pressure environment of international cricket like fish takes to water, somewhere, a little credit must also go to batting legend Rahul Dravid - the coach of the India A team since May last year - for making them battle-ready for the top level. In what has proved to be an astute move by the BCCI, it put 'The Wall' in charge of the A team and then scheduled a series of A tours with the purpose of developing a good bench strength.

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Since July last year, India A have played more cricket than ever: they hosted South Africa, Australia and Bangladesh in 2015, and toured Australia this August. Yadav and Nair, as well as Parthiv Patel, who made a successful comeback to international cricket recently, were part of these tours.

The results are beginning to show. Parent that the 43-year-old has a fair idea of the talent at the fringes. It helps that he enjoys a good equation with his former India and Karnataka teammate and current national coach Anil Kumble.

After cracking an unbeaten 303 to slay England in the fourth Test at Chennai, Nair was quick to acknowledge the role of 'Rahul Sir' and the time spent with India A in his growth as a player. "I think the India A tour helps really as there is a big gap between the Ranji Trophy and international cricket. The India A series kind of fills that void. Rahul Sir has always been of a big help to me. I've been with him since the Rajasthan Royal days. He has always backed me," Nair told bcci.tv on Monday.

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Former India allrounder Ravi Shastri, who was India team director till June last year, felt that praise was due for both Dravid and the Board for the way the likes of Yadav and Nair have arrived on the international scene.

"I just go back to the basics of what the BCCI has done over the last two years in getting Rahul Dravid to the India A system, and encouraging the India A format. It was an initiative taken when I was the team director. It has done wonders, because whether it's Nair or Yadav, what you're seeing are finished products that are coming into the Test team, and a lot of credit should be given to Rahul for working with these guys," Shastri told TOI on Monday.

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Nair's marathon knock, Shastri felt, was a classic example of how strong India's bench is now. "All these guys were with the A team earlier. You can see the bench strength now. Two of your main players - Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Sharma - aren't there, but you still have someone from the reserves who comes and hits a triple hundred.

"You're in a great position. It's a good headache when you have to select the team for the next Test," Shastri said.

The talent identified, honed and recommended by Dravid has some genuine quality to it, as has been visible so far. Having been heavily involved with coaching or mentoring youngsters since retirement - he also coaches the India U-19 team and mentors the Delhi Daredevils.