After Rahul Dravid's appointment, Team India revive bygone tradition of Indian cricket

Team India head coach Rahul Dravid has revived an age-old tradition by awarding Rs 35,000 to the groundsmen at the Wankhede Stadium for producing good pitches during the second Test match against New Zealand. Dravid had already shown the same generous side during the first Test match in Kanpur when he awarded Rs. 35,000 to the ground personnel for the same reason, for making a commendable track.

Before Dravid became the head coach of Team India, the tradition of groundsmen receiving rewards for preparing good pitches had all but vanished. Everyone has followed the practice at some point or another during their respective playing careers, from Kapil Dev to Mohammed Azharuddin, and from Sourav Ganguly to MS Dhoni. However, the custom was fading, with cash rewards for grounds staff becoming a thing of the past.

Dravid, who has been a member of the circuit for a long time, has now taken up the task of reviving the old tradition. Dravid revived another bygone ritual in the Indian dressing room earlier in the series when he brought former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar to present Shreyas Iyer with his first Test cap. For the past few years, the Indian dressing room had abandoned the tradition of debutants receiving their first cap from giants of the game, but after taking over as head coach, Dravid made it a point to reinstate the practice.

India vs New Zealand

As far as the Test series between India and New Zealand is concerned, the home side beat the Blackcaps to win the bilateral competition 1-0. The first Test match that was played at Kanpur's Green Park Stadium ended in a draw after India failed to pick one wicket on the final day of the game.

In the second Test, India emerged victorious by a massive margin of 372 runs. The match, which took place in Mumbai, saw India demolish New Zealand for a low total of 62 runs after scoring 345 runs in the first innings. In the third innings, India posted another 276 runs to take the target to a whopping 540 runs. In reply, the Kiwis were bundled out for just 167 runs. Mayank Agarwal was awarded the player of the match trophy, while Ravichandran Ashwin received the player of the series award. 

(Image: ICC)