Wellington: Former captain Rahul Dravid has backed the underfire Mahendra Singh Dhoni to stay on as Test skipper for at least a year but added that he would need to take a few risks to win abroad.
He said, I think he`s got to realize this very quickly, that if he wants to win Test matches abroad, he`s got to risk it all. He`s got to take that chance that he`s going to have to lose some Test matches. The only way you can win abroad is to take a few risks, take a few gambles, Dravid said.
He sort of didn`t trust his fast bowlers to be able to take wickets. He kept playing with the older ball because he wanted to control the runs. So I think that is a slightly defensive mindset that he`s got into,” the batting great told ESPNcricinfo after the Wellington Test.
Away from home, Dhoni has captained India in 23 Tests, of which they have won five, lost 11 and drawn seven, and asked if the selectors should continue with him, Dravid replied in positive.
In Tests, I always saw these four Test (tours) as Dhoni`s opportunity to redeem what has been a pretty poor overseas record for him. He`s achieved everything else. He`s won one-day tournaments, he`s won a World Cup, Champions Trophy, he`s taken India to No. 1, he has a great record in India, (he) just hasn`t had the results outside of India.
And I think he deserves the right, the chance to play out this year, and assess it at the end of Australian series. End of that series, we`ll really know where Indian cricket stands and where Dhoni stands, both as a player and as a captain.
Bureau Report
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