Rahul Dravid Says Ajinkya Rahane Must Bat At No.5 in Tests

India A and Under-19 cricket teams' head coach Rahul Dravid believes Ajinkya Rahane should bat at No.5 in Tests considering his ability to give tailenders company and keeping in mind the success he has had in the middle order. (Ajinkya Rahane Says He Would Have Joined Air Force if Not a Cricketer)

"I think he (Rahane) would be a very good No. 4 and No.5 batsman in Test. I am not saying he won't be a good No.3 because he batted there, but the success he had at No.5, his ability to bat with the tail and the range of shorts he has, makes him a very good No.5, also his ability to play the second new ball," Dravid said during a book launch of former cricketer Aakash Chopra. (India Sacrificed Nice Guy Rahane at No.3: Gavaskar)

"Obviously he (Rahane) is required to bat at whatever position his team needs. But for me No. 5 is the position where he will probably do best in Tests," he added. (WATCH: Ajinkya Rahane Ready to Take the 'Throne' of Indian Cricket)

Dravid praised the 27-year-old Mumbai batsman for his consistent performance overseas.

"He (Rahane) has worked really hard to get in to the Indian team like me. If you look at his overseas record, you will see he has done well and scored century in every overseas tour including 98 in Bangladesh. He will grow up to be a great successful cricketer," the former captain said.

India recently won a Test series in Sri Lankan soil after 22 years and Dravid heaped praise on skipper Virat Kohli, saying he is someone who constantly looks to improve and wants to be better every time.

"The thing I noticed about Kohli is that he constantly looks to improve and wants to do better with every time. In cricket you are constantly questioned and Kohli has answered those well," he said.

The 42-year-old believes footwork will remain a vital part for a batsman to succeed but said as long as one is scoring runs, footwork doesn't matter. Dravid took the example of Indian batsman Virender Sehwag and West Indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul to explain it.

"Footwork will remain an important part, but as long as one is scoring runs, it won't matter. For example Chanderpaul and Sehwag. You cannot question them. But without footwork one has to be Sehwag to survive and not all can be Sehwag," Dravid, known for his steely resolve and flawless technique during his illustrious career where he scored more than 24,000 runs, said.

The former batsman also pointed out that playing practice games and having good preparations ahead of a Test series is always important.

"It is important to have good preparations ahead of a Test series. Practice gamed are important ahead of a Test. During our time we had lot of time before a Test match to prepare ourselves but now it is not the case. This generation is not getting enough time to get ready for a Test," Dravid concluded.