Success of Indian captains in IPL augurs well for national team: Rahul Dravid

IPL will eventually benefit the national team since the leadership role helps in accelerating the growth of cricketers, head coach Rahul Dravid said on Tuesday. Hardik Pandya led Gujarat Titans to title in its maiden season while KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, and Sanju Samson too did a commendable job while leading their respective franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

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Rahul led new entrants Lucknow Super Giants to the playoffs in their maiden season and Samson impressed with his captaincy as he took Rajasthan Royals to a runners-up finish this season. "It is great that we have a lot of Indian captains doing well. Hardik was one of them. Brilliant. KL did a good job at LSG and Sanju in RR. Shreyas in KKR," Dravid said at a press conference. "It is really great to see the young batters leading the team. It helps people grow and develop as players, having to lead teams to make the decisions. It helps you grow as a person and as a player.

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When the Indian team gathered at the Kotla on Monday for its first practice session before the five-match T20I series against South Africa, Umran Malik was the centre of attention. Everyone was curious to see the speed merchant from Jammu and check out whether the hype was real. More importantly,

"It is great from our perspective that the younger Indian players are leading well in the IPL," he added. India are set to lock horns with South Africa in a five-match T20 series starting here on Thursday.