Dravid answers some FAQs post series-levelling win

INDIA may have levelled the series but they go to a three-match shoot-off with several unanswered questions. Would the pitches going forward have some more spice in them?

What of KS Bharat, who hasn’t delivered with the bat. Could Virat Kohli join the team at Rajkot for the third game? Coach Rahul Dravid answered some of these queries in the post-match press conference. Excerpts:

On if he is disappointed by Bharat’s performances & is there a way back for Ishan

Disappointed is a strong word. Young players take time to develop at times. They grow at their own pace. Yeah, as a coach you want players to grab the opportunities. His keeping has been good, he will also agree that his batting could have been better. There is a way back for everyone. I don’t want to go on labouring about the Ishan Kishan point.

He had requested a break, we were happy to give him the break. Whenever he was ready, I didn’t say he has to play domestic cricket, I said ‘whenever he is ready, he needs to play some cricket and come back’. The choice is his. We are not forcing him to do anything, we are in touch with him, it is not that we have not been in touch. He has not yet started playing right so at the moment it is not something we can consider. But we are happy with the way KS has kept.