Dravid resembles a captain from the past: Kapil

New Delhi, Dec 1 (UNI) Without a shot of doubt, Rahul Dravid is a brilliant player but when it comes to leading the side, the right-hander with a sound technique looks like a skipper from the bygone era, according to World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev.

Clearly not impressed with Dravid's approach to captaincy, Kapil felt there was something lacking and the impression he gets is that here is a captain from the past.

''Make no mistake. Dravid is a brilliant batsman with a flawless game and there is no deficiency in his thinking either. But the impression I get after seeing him leading the side is that here you have a captain from the 1950s, '60s or the '70s,'' Kapil told Aaj Tak channel.

''I thought he would make a strong captain but at times you don't really feel so when you see him on television. He doesn't have the command and I feel he just goes with the flow,'' Kapil said.

Earlier, former players like Ravi Shastri also felt that Dravid was not assertive enough and was allowing coach Greg Chappell call the shots.

Meanwhile, on Sourav Ganguly's return, Kapil sounded apprehensive about the atmosphere in a dressing room where Chappell and Ganguly would share space.

''Now that Sourav is back, he must stay positive. It must not bring any kind of uncertainty in the team and at any cost, it should not allow the atmosphere to worsen and affect the team's show,'' he said.

''There was no question about Sourav's ability or talent. He is one of the finest left-handers India has produced and also one of the best strokemakers of the world. He is a great cricketer who played and led the team with aplomb. He is no more the captai but he would have to motivate himself and his team members and we would be happy if he comes back among runs again,'' Kapil added.

The former allrounder also took a dig at the Team India coach and said, ''You like something about Chappell and dislike some. I mean I don't find reasons behind so much of experiments that creates a sense of insecurity among the players. It's just not going to help the side.

''Anyway, I also find no logic behind the theory that only an Indian should coach the side. I mean if any Indian is picked for that, I would be happy. But if it needs a foreigner to revive the fortunes, I don't see anything wrong in going with that,'' he said.

UNI AY PM SSC1406