"Remains An Integral Part Of Our Batting Lineup": Rahul Dravid On Rishabh Pant

The five-match T20I series between India and South Africa ended level at 2-2 after the series decider at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru was abandoned due to rain on Sunday. Only 3.3 overs were possible in the game and India managed to post 28/2 in that duration. South Africa had won the first two T20Is, but Team India managed to stage a comeback in the next two, to bring the series on level terms at 2-2.

Team India head coach Rahul Dravid addressed a press conference after the final T20I was abandoned due to rain and he spoke about the form of Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Dinesh Karthik, and the brand of cricket his side wanted to play.

When asked about his take on Rishabh Pant's captaincy, the 52-year-old said: "It was good. To bring a team from 0-2 to 2-2 with a chance to win the series, is good. Captaincy is not just about wins and losses, you can't do that. I think he is a young captain and he is growing and learning. Too early to judge him, it is not something you want to do after one series or few games. But, it is nice he has got some opportunity to show that. He gets an understanding of what is like to lead, to keep, and bat so a lot of load on him. It is a question of him learning and gaining from that. Credit to him, he was able to work with the team."

"When you are in the middle overs and you are asking people to play a little more attacking brand of cricket, looking to take the game on, sometimes it is very hard to judge on the basis of 2-3 games. I thought he (Pant) had a pretty good IPL, in terms of you know, might not have looked good in averages, but I thought his strike rate was good in the IPL. In that process, he might go wrong but he remains an integral part of our batting lineup