Watch: Rahul Dravid respectfully asks journo to check stats before asking questions
Rahul Dravid gave an amusing response to the journalist querying why the left-arm spinner didn't bowl with two left-handers in at Indore.
India head coach Rahul Dravid reinforced how critical match-ups are to his team ahead of the T20 World Cup when a journalist asked him why Axar Patel bowled just one over throughout the third T20I versus South Africa on Tuesday (October 3).
Speaking to the press after India's defeat in the inconsequential fixture of a series already won 2-1 by the hosts, Dravid retained all his grace while letting the journalist know he should dig deeper into the stats before asking such obvious questions.
Axar was India's 'Player of the Series' for the set of three T20Is against Australia last month but was entrusted to bowl only one over in the final game of the Proteas series in Indore.
With Rilee Rossouw and Quinton de Kock hammering the Indian bowling on a flat pitch, India were wary of using the left-arm spinner turning the ball into their arc and thus decided not to employ him till one of the two players was dismissed in the 15th over. That over still went for 13.
Rahul Dravid's amusing response to the journo's query on Axar Patel
Listening to the journalist's question at the presser in Indore carefully, Rahul Dravid told him indirectly to check his stats before arriving with questions like the one did.
The former India captain didn't lose his temper at all; he in fact retained his innate grace and calmness before unveiling a cheeky grin on his face as he responded to the journo quering why Axar was asked to bowl just one over of the 20 India delivered for South Africa's gigantic 227/3.
Watch: Rossouw hit wicket off free hit; Siraj misses opportunity to get a dot ball
"Match-ups are importan, they are important to us," Dravid initially told the journalist. "Whether they are more important (than backing the bowler's quality alone) or not, is for you guys to dig deep and look at what stats tell you."
"About match-ups, about numbers of left-arm spinners bowling into the left-handers and then maybe you might get your answers in that."
— Yoloapp (@Yoloapp2) October 5, 2022
"So a lot of teams use match-ups, it's not only us. Like us, I am sure a lot of teams dwell into stats, the numbers. Think if you dwelled into some of those numbers, you'll get some answers."
"I will really request you to look at the some of those numbers and you might get some answers, and do it as deeply as we do."
Dravid's response held weight, as usual, with Axar carrying an economy rate of 9.53 against the left-handers in his T20I career and 8.22 in the IPL.