Rahul Dravid says not hurt at all by Wriddhiman Saha's comments after Test snub: He deserved honesty and clarity

India head coach Rahul Dravid shed more light on the comments made by Wriddhiman Saha after the India wicketkeeper-batsman revealed a "difficult" conversation between the two a day after he was dropped from the Test team for the Sri Lanka series. Dravid said he believes in keeping players in the loop about the selection decisions rather than taking the easier route out.

Saha, who has been dropped from the 2-Test series against Sri Lanka next month, told the media on Sunday that head coach Dravid asked him to consider retirement and that team is looking at grooming younger wicketkeeper batters as back-up for Rishabh Pant, who is the first-choice stumper in Tests.

Dravid said his intention behind talking to Saha was to ensure he has a clear picture of where he stands and he does not regret it.

"I'm actually not hurt at all. I have deep respect for Wriddhi and his achievements and his contribution to Indian cricket. My conversation came from that place. I think he deserved honesty and clarity," Dravid said after India's T20I series win over the West Indies.

Saha also had pulled out of the ongoing Ranji Trophy due to personal reasons.

Dravid explained the rationale behind speaking to Saha, saying that it was necessary as Rishabh Pant has already established himself as the new No.1 wicketkeeper across formats and the Bengal man wouldn't have got chances going forward.

"I was just trying to convey that with RP (Pant), having established himself as our No.1 wicketkeeper-batsman, the idea was to say that we are looking to groom a younger wicketkeeper (Kona Bharat).

"This doesn't change my feelings or respect for Wriddhi," he asserted.

DON'T EXPECT PLAYERS TO LIKE THE CONVERSATIONS: DRAVID

Dravid said he will continue having such conversations with players whether they like the discussion or not.

"It's about conversations I constantly have with players. I don't expect players to always agree with everything I say about them.

"That's not how it works. You can have difficult conversations with the players, but that doesn't mean you brush it under the carpet and don't have the conversations," Dravid was crystal clear about his approach.

Dravid said that his philosophy is to have discussions with players before every playing XI is picked.

"I always believe in having those conversations before every playing XI is picked and be open to questions such as why they are not playing. It's natural for players to get upset and feel hurt," he said.

For Dravid, telling a harsh truth is better than avoiding a conversation altogether.

"Easiest thing for me is to not have these conversations and not speak to players about it. That's not what I am going to do.

"But at some stage, I hope they respect the fact that I was able to front up and have those conversations," he added.