IND vs NZ: Rahul Dravid revives long-forgotten tradition after taking over as India coach

Team India Head Coach Rahul Dravid has revived a long-forgotten tradition in the Indian dressing room as he invited former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar to hand Shreyas Iyer his maiden Test cap. Iyer on Thursday became the latest Test debutant for Team India and Dravid made sure that he gets his first Test cap from a legend of the game. Earlier, during the T20I series against New Zealand, Dravid had invited former bowler Ajit Agarkar to present debutant Harshal Patel with his maiden T20I cap. 

The tradition of debutants getting their maiden cap from the legends of the game had become a thing of the past in the Indian dressing room. In the recent past, new entrants were getting their maiden India cap from either one of the senior players in the side or from coaches or support staff. However, after taking over the charge of Team India, Dravid has made sure that youngsters receive their first cap from former greats of the game so that they cherish the moment for the rest of their lives. 

The tradition is followed in dressing rooms across the world, including in Australia, where debutants always receive their maiden caps from former cricketers such as Mark Waugh, Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist, Ricky Ponting among others. Dravid, who is regarded as one of the greatest Test batters of his era, has now brought the tradition back to the Indian dressing room by making sure Iyer got his cap from one of the former legends of the game. 

India vs New Zealand

Meanwhile, India opted to bat first after winning the toss against New Zealand at Kanpur's Green Park Stadium. Mayank Agarwal and Shubman Gill opened the batting for the Ajinkya Rahane-led side as they forged a 21-run partnership. Kyle Jamieson struck the first blow for New Zealand as he dismissed Agarwal for 13 runs in the eighth over of the match. Shubman went on to score his fourth Test half-century and is still intact in the middle alongside Cheteshwar Pujara. 

Image: BCCI