Rahul Dravid: Bowlers have their work cut out in T20 cricket

Dravid, who guided India national cricket team to its second T20 World Cup title in 2024 during the tournament in the Caribbean, said the modern game has changed significantly, particularly in the Powerplay overs.

According to him, batters are now targeting parts of the ground that once appeared virtually "out of bounds."

The former skipper pointed to a new generation of fearless players leading the transformation, singling out youngsters Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ayush Mhatre, Priyansh Arya and Abhishek Sharma for reshaping batting methods at the top of the order. Abhishek is currently ranked as the world's No. 1 T20 batter.

Dravid described the shift as a complete change in the "grammar" of T20 batting, adding that batters have adapted to the demands of the format faster than bowlers.

However, he remains confident the balance will eventually return, insisting bowlers will find ways to respond as the game continues to evolve.

"In a sense, to see the quality of batting that has happened over the last two or three years, I think the bowlers in that format of the game will slowly have to do some catching up," Dravid told PTI in an exclusive interview.

"I think batsmanship and the ability to hit sixes and to access different parts of the ground has certainly improved leaps and bounds.

"Bowlers will have to keep working on their skills and keep developing. I am sure, some of them will be able to still stand out and hold their own.

"I think if you look at it in terms of balance, probably a lot more batsmen are able to cope with the requirements of the modern T20 game than, say, some of the bowlers have been able to at this point of time. That may change in two or three years."