Rahul Dravid disappoints as Team India Coach after High Expectations, Low Returns

Fans and observers saw Rahul Dravid as a “crisis man” when he became India’s head coach, expecting him to rescue the team from all of the off-field scandals and put an end to the nation’s championship drought. Prior to the 2019 ODI World Cup, his performance as a coach so far has been very poor and has drawn harsh criticism.

After a successful tenure as NCA’s director of cricket, where he led a successful India U-19 and A tour program, Dravid succeeded Ravi Shastri as India’s head coach. Although he was originally reluctant to accept a coaching position with the senior team’s star-studded roster, BCCI authorities were able to persuade him to do so.

Dravid had a successful debut as a coach, leading the squad to victories against New Zealand, the West Indies, and Sri Lanka at home. He was joined by new captain Rohit. However, things began to go south when India, although winning the first match, lost the three-match Test series in South Africa. The rescheduled Test against England in Birmingham ended in defeat for the Dravid-coached squad.

Fans are more dissatisfied with India’s defeat in the T20 World Cup 2022, Asia Cup 2022, and the WTC Final 2023 under the leadership of Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid than with the bilateral, where India has mostly trounced its opponents.

Why and how has Dravid had difficulty so far as a coach?

Dravid was a devoted team player who always upheld the value of hard effort. The Karnataka-born cricketer did everything for the squad whenever it was needed, whether it was playing as an opener in Test matches, wearing the wicket-keeping gloves to give the team more balance, or leading the side through the turbulence.

Additionally, he would have anticipated the same kind of dedication from his players as a coach, but he hasn’t been able to completely define their roles for them. A good example of Dravid and skipper Rohit being apprehensive about their team’s lineup during their whole campaign at the 2022 World Cup.

The team management initially supported veteran wicket-keeper batsman Dinesh Karthik, but towards the end, despite not being in any kind of form, Rishabh Pant was promoted.

Things don’t seem good for Team India with precisely two months to the ODI World Cup since Dravid and the selectors are still undecided on their top 15 players. Yes, important player injuries haven’t helped their situation, but they haven’t developed reliant back-ups.

The Dravid-led management experimented heavily during the recently ended ODIs against West Indies to test out various combinations and offer possible World Cup candidates enough of batting time. However, certain choices, such as sending Axar to bat at No. 4, using Ruturaj Gaikwad in one game, and selecting Sruryakumar Yadav and Sanju Samson to bat in each of the three games at various places, were absurd.

The decision to rest Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the final two ODIs also didn’t sit well with the fans and experts, who felt that both seasoned professionals could have played and that Surya and Samson, the middle order batters who are expected to replace the injured Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul for the World Cup, could have been used for some experimentation.

The fact that Dravid has never come across as a convincing strategist has also drawn criticism. Yes, the captain plays a significant part in keeping order inside the stadium, but the coach also has a duty to make specific suggestions to the players when the game is trending in the direction of the opponent. An example from recently is the WTC Final, when the Australian hitters dominated the Indian batters on the first day, which ultimately proved to be pivotal.

Can Dravid end his assignment with a flourish?

If India’s chances at the forthcoming ODI World Cup don’t go well, the 50-year-old Dravid is unlikely to get a contract renewal, and he may not even want to given the pressures of the demanding position. The former captain of India still has a chance to end things off well.

In the next two months, Dravid has two significant challenges that might very well define his career as an Indian coach: the Asia Cup and the ODI World Cup.

When MS Dhoni’s team won the Champions title in England in 2013, it was the last time India won an ICC title. Dravid and Rohit Sharma will live in infamy if they can finally win a championship.

As a captain, Dravid has seen firsthand how an Indian team loaded with superstars failed at the awful 2007 ODI World Cup. Therefore, he would also want to take advantage of the ODI World Cup as a chance to make a statement and win the coveted coaching trophy.

Dravid’s task is made much harder by the instability of the team, the absence of key players, and the pressure to triumph in front of the home fans, but as is sometimes remarked, “if it’s not hard, then it probably isn’t worth doing,”