IND vs NZ 1st Test: Team India coach Rahul Dravid gives Rs 35000 to groundsmen after match ends in a draw, here’s why

Team India head coach Rahul Dravid (Source: Twitter)

He has always been different from the rest and India's new head coach Rahul Dravid proved it once again by giving Green Park's ground staff, led by Shiv Kumar, Rs 35,000 for preparing a sporting pitch for the first Test against New Zealand.

The Indian-born Ajaz Patel and Rachin Ravindra showed remarkable resilience under fading light and on a deteriorating track to defy India's famous spinners and eke out a thrilling draw for New Zealand after an engrossing fifth and final day of the opening Test in Kanpur on Monday.

''We would like to make an official announcement. Mr Rahul Dravid has paid Rs 35,000 personally to our groundsmen,'' the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) announced in the press box after the game.

So Near Yet So Far.

The first #INDvNZ Test in Kanpur ends in a draw. @Paytm #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/dGckU0uBjl — BCCI (@BCCI) November 29, 2021

During his time, Dravid was known to play the game fair and square and things haven't changed one bit even after so many years. The tip was a token of appreciation for not dishing out an under-prepared track where the divot would explode and the match would end inside three days.

It was a proper pitch where batters who have applied themselves got runs, such as Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill, Tom Latham, and Will Young, while pacers Tim Southee and Kyle Jamieson tormented India's top-order and the home team tweakers got 17 wickets.

Harbhajan Singh was a terrific bowler for India. What @ashwinravi99 has done to go past him is a phenomenal achievement: Head Coach Rahul Dravid.@Paytm #INDvNZ #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/SGh8UetSUY — BCCI (@BCCI) November 29, 2021

Dravid's appreciation means that the template going forward would be sporting wickets with a bit of everything rather than something diabolical.