Sri Lanka vs India | Uncapped trio of Padikkal, Sakariya and Rana eager to learn from Rahul Dravid

The uncapped trio of Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Rana and Chetan Sakariya are looking to imbibe the qualities of Rahul Dravid – player, person and coach – during the tour of Sri Lanka.

Six uncapped players are part of the Indian squad for the series starting here on July 18. NCA chief Dravid is the head coach on this tour and is currently the Test team in the UK.

Padikkal recalled on Star, “Being from the same school, the first time I actually met him was at one of our sports day events, where I was supposed to present him a bouquet – when I first met him. talked about once.” sport.

The elegant left-handed batsman has been taken aback by Dravid’s grounded nature.

“I’ve always been amazed at how incredibly calm and gentle a person he is. It’s incredible to achieve so much in cricket and be so down to earth, humble and kind to everyone,” added the 21-year-old , who plays for Karnataka.

“To have him (Dravid) as our coach, you couldn’t have asked for anything more and to have a mentor like him next to you, it’s just a great feeling, and hopefully, I can learn a lot from him, Padikkal said.

Another southpaw, Nitish Rana, is also looking forward to working with Dravid.

“I have heard that Rahul Dravid as a coach is similar to Rahul Dravid as a player. I wish I could bring even one per cent patience in him, that would be a big achievement for me,” Rana said. Plays for Delhi in domestic cricket.

Even Saurashtra pacer Chetan Sakariya wants to be as determined as Dravid.

“I want to know how he was so determined when opposition teams like Australia and England played major cricket.

Sakaria said, “I want to understand how it troubled them and how he could achieve so much with determination. I want to learn and understand the process that goes behind that mindset.”

India will take on Sri Lanka in a limited-overs series, including three ODIs and as many T20s, from July 18 here.