Dravid feels for Trescothick

Marcus Trescothick confirmed he will not be involved in the winter tours © Getty Images

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India captain Rahul Dravid has expressed his sympathy for Marcus Trescothick as the opener continues his recovery from a stress-related illness.

Trescothick this week withdrew from England’s provisional squad for the ICC World Twenty20 and the winter tours to Sri Lanka and New Zealand, claiming he is not ready for a return to international cricket.

And Dravid claims it is becoming increasingly difficult to handle the ever-growing demands placed on players at the top.

India are used to the stresses and strains of a crammed international schedule and Dravid’s is sympathetic to those affected by it.

The second npower Test at Trent Bridge is India's 22nd in as many months and their scheduling is heavily weighted towards one-day cricket, emphasising the saturation of their calendar.

"I don't know Marcus's situation but I think he is a great cricketer, a huge asset to England," said Dravid.

"The way he has dominated attacks over the years means it is a big loss obviously.

"But there is a lot of cricket being played these days and it is going to put a lot of pressure on players.

"It is just a question of coping. How they're going to cope, each situation will vary and you can't really compare one to another."

Rahul Dravid admits players are under "a lot of pressure"

In fact, Dravid believes Asian countries have it worse than those from other parts of the world.

"Some years can be a bit tough," he reflected. "Some years put a bit more pressure on you.

"Countries like India find it tough because we don't have a set summer as such.

"England are always here in the summer, Australia are always at home in their summer, and that makes a huge difference.

“I feel personally from a captain's point of view, in managing your resources, managing your players.

"It is easier if you know where you are going to be for four, five, six months of the year.

"Every year we can be somewhere different. Some years we can be in West Indies in July, others England, then not playing in India in November and December, which is our pure winter, and when we should be playing.

"For us to manage our workload and our teams is a lot more difficult than teams who have the advantage of knowing exactly where they are in their season."

Groundstaff fight the elements at Trent Bridge on Thursday

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India's most pressing current concern is to apply themselves better with the bat than they did at Lord's last week when they were dismissed for just 201 by an inexperienced England attack in the first innings before escaping 282 for nine when the weather intervened in the second.

Just as in London, the wet weather appears destined to play a large part in proceedings in the midlands, with the entire ground covered in puddles on Thursday afternoon as India took refuge at the National Cricket Centre in Loughborough.

Further showers are forecast, which could mean players' concentration levels will be tested by the stoppages.

"It is a lot tougher on the batting side in those situations," said Dravid. "The bowlers can always come back having had a breather.

"It is not ideal as it can upset the momentum, the rhythm of the game.

"But you have to get used to these kind of conditions when you come to tour England.

"You do expect to have certain interruptions of rain, days can be very long and sometimes you play until 7.30pm in the evening. That in itself poses a challenge of concentration."