Rahul Dravid visits NCA ahead of WTC final, addresses women’s team before leaving for England

Indian men’s team head coach Rahul Dravid shared his insights with the women cricketers in a pep talk at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore before leaving for England for next month’s World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia.

Former Indian captain and current head coach Rahul Dravid addressed the members of the Indian women’s team at the NCA, who are undergoing a conditioning camp ahead of their tour of Bangladesh, which features a three-match ODI and a three-match T20I series.

Dravid, who is set to leave for England for India’s preparations for the WTC final against Australia, spent some quality time with the Indian women’s team, featuring the likes of Deepti Sharma, Yastika Bhatia, Shafali Verma, Richa Ghosh, Jemimah Rodrigues, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Puja Vastrakar, Devika Vaidya, Harleen Deol, Saika Ishaque, Arundhati Reddy, among several others.

Apart from the Indian head coach, former Indian cricketer and NCA head VVS Laxman was also present at the small gathering. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) thanked the legendary cricketer for imparting his invaluable knowledge to the women’s contingent.

Rahul Dravid will be eyeing his first major ICC honour as the head coach of the national team when India squares off against Australia in the WTC final, commencing on June 7 at the Oval. While several members of the Indian team won’t be available before June 1 due to their commitments to their respective IPL franchises, a few players are already leaving for England in small batches to prepare for the summit clash.