Rajsthan Royals (RR) chief mentor Rahul Dravid feels that his side rely a lot on Indian players ahead of their eliminator clash against the in-form Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Wednesday in Pune.
The Royals recently defeated the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their last match of the league stage and qualified for the Playoffs of the Pepsi Indian Premier League (IPL) 2015. And now they are up against RCB in a do or die situation.
"We, as a franchise, rely a lot on young Indian players which by nature mean you throw up a lot of young talent. The fact that the domestic players went into the auction with set budgets for them was a great thing. At RR, we believe in spending quality time not just in scouting but also building good young talent," said Rahul Dravid told The Times of India.
The Royals started the IPL 2015 brilliantly, as they won five games in a row and then lost their winning momentum midway through the tournament. Shane Watson was not able to perform well both with the bat and the ball and thus handed over the captaincy to Steven Smith in order to focus in his game. It was then, Royals found their momentum back and Watson smashed a brilliant ton to outplay KKR, which in turn helped RR cruise into the playoffs.
"We've had a way to get the best out of the resources and win matches from anywhere. I think that continues and we take great pride in defying odds. We are a team and it's not about a few individuals alone.
"A lot of the teams rely on their big stars to deliver. We believe we are a balanced side and don't necessarily rely on one or two individuals. We do have some stars and if they perform and win matches on their own, it's great," Dravid said.
The former Indian batting legend also feels that it is important to maintain a positive attitude throughout a tournament like IPL. At times it is difficult to keep up with the positive intent when one side is suffering few losses, and that is when he pumps up the boys to feel positive for their upcoming games.
"I think it's important to realize that IPL will be a roller coaster ride where you will have your good days and bad days. You have to learn not to get too excited when you win and not to be too disappointed when you lose. It is about staying balanced. I feel players don't need to be pepped up as they are quite motivated themselves," Dravid concluded.
