U-19 World Cup: India coach Rahul Dravid mentors opposition players as well

New Delhi: Former India captain Rahul Dravid is easily the biggest name at the ongoing ICC U-19 World Cup in Bangladesh.

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Hence it is only natural for him to have become one of the major attractions at tournament for fans, media and the players.

According to a report in the Times of India, India's U-19 coach is not only managing his boys but also advising youngsters from opposition teams to help address their problems.

The wish of Nepal's players of wanting to interact with 'The Wall' came true on Monday, as they caught up with Dravid after their loss against India.

Dravid has also spent some of his time talking to the Pakistan team management as well as players from the Canadian team during warm-up games last week.

"Rahul and I go back to the days when he used to tour Pakistan. He chatted with our coach and shared his views about what needs to be done with the team and how the players should be nurtured. He mingled with the boys as well," Zakir Khan, manager of the Pakistan colts told TOI.

One of Dravid's pearls of wisdom for the Nepali team included the importance of rotating strike.

"He said that we should have rotated the strike better. Against a good team, 160 or 170 is not a good score. If it was 220 or 225, then they (India) wouldn't have played like this. The way they attacked in the first 10 overs, they wouldn't have done that," Nepal all-rounder Aarif Sheikh said.

Dravid boosted the confidence of the Canadian team after his boys had thrashed them in the warm-up game.

"He told them that there was nothing to be ashamed of. He said the Indian boys are professionals. He told our boys to take pride in the fact that they have qualified for this event," Canada's manager Mike Sharma told TOI.

Despite being offered a position in the high-profile Cricket Advisory Committee, of which Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly are part, Dravid opted to groom the next generation of Indian cricketers.

The U-19 World Cup may be his first major assignment, but the effect he is having on the overall system around him is already visible.