Former India captain and head coach Rahul Dravid has raised concerns over the preparation of modern Indian batters in Test cricket, pointing to the packed international calendar as a key factor behind recent struggles in the longest format. Dravid believes that players featuring across formats are not spending enough time working on red-ball skills, which has begun to show in results at home.
India’s dominance in home Tests was once unquestionable, but that trend has shifted in recent years. After remaining unbeaten in home series for 12 years, the team has now suffered defeats in two of its last three home assignments. A 3-0 loss to New Zealand in 2024 was followed by a 2-0 series defeat to South Africa in November 2025, marking a significant change in fortunes.
Dravid also reflected on his experiences during his tenure as head coach, highlighting the constant movement between formats that top players are required to manage. He explained that limited preparation time before Test matches has made it increasingly difficult for players to adjust to red-ball demands.
“One of the things I understood as a coach, especially the guys that play all three formats, they keep moving from one format to the other. In my generation, when there were only two formats in the game, and there wasn't really the idea of franchise cricket, there were a lot of times where I would have a whole month of practicing for a Test series and I would be able to play with the red ball, and I would be able to develop my skills,” Dravid said at the launch of the book The Rise of the Hitman: The Rohit Sharma Story in Bengaluru.
“Now, one of the things that has become a bit tougher in red-ball cricket is a lot of our guys who play all three formats, or who play the amount of cricket that they are playing, sometimes don't have the time to be able to practise red-ball cricket as much,” he added.
Dravid speaks on challenges
According to Dravid, this lack of sustained exposure impacts the development of techniques required for challenging conditions.
“That's become really a challenge, how do you almost find the time to be able to develop some of the skills that are hard. To play on turning tracks, or play on seaming wickets, doing that for hours and hours in a Test match is not easy. It requires skill,” the veteran added.