Rahul Dravid was appointed as the new Head Coach of the Indian Cricket Team on Wednesday, relieving Ravi Shastri & Co. of their duties. The Indian legend will take charge post the ongoing T20 World Cup, starting with a bilateral series against New Zealand later this month. While the Indian Cricket Team scaled multiple peaks in the last four years under Shastri, it has failed to wrap hands around a coveted world title. Now, with Virat Kohli also stepping down as the T20I Captain, Dravid will hold key to India’s rebuilding, especially in limited-overs international cricket.
Ravi Shastri, Virat Kohli, and the entire Indian contingent have done exceedingly well across formats in the last few years. Despite a few hiccups, the Indian team has managed to win series not once but twice down under, and have come closer to winning one in England. The fitness levels of the team have risen drastically with captain Kohli himself leading from the top. The integration of IPL into international cricket has helped the team with multiple options as the winning mindset has settled into Team India. At times facing the brunt of a loss, at times relishing the glimmer in a win, a bitter-sweet yet successful captaincy stint in limited-overs international cricket for Virat Kohli will see its end post this tournament. But to everyone’s relief, as someone whose been around the domestic circuit for the longest, having Dravid oversee the transition is no less than a blessing.
Putting it into perspective, there is no one better than Dravid currently suited for the job. As the India U19 and A-Team coach, Rahul Dravid has worked closely with most of the young Indian players currently in the mix. He also traveled to Sri Lanka with a young Indian team earlier this year. The likes of Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Chahar, as also the upcoming Prithvi Shaw, Shubman Gill amongst others who have made a mark in international cricket for India recently, have all credited Dravid for their success. Moreover, as the Director at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore, Dravid has also had a close look at India’s domestic circuit and knows players well. His approach towards the game and highly-regarded work ethics have always been talked about in the cricketing circuit, and it will be interesting to see how the team gets along with the change in management.
“It is an absolute honor to be appointed as the new Head Coach of the Indian Cricket Team and I am really looking forward to this role. Under Mr. Shastri, the team has done very well, and I hope to work with the team to take this forward. Having worked closely with most of the boys either at NCA, U19, and India A setup, I know they have the passion and desire to improve every day. There are some marquee multi-team events in the next two years, and I look forward to working with the players and the support staff to achieve our potential.”
BCCI quoted Dravid as saying.
He’s sure to come in with a burden of immense expectations, but one wouldn’t be surprised to see most of them bear fruit. Personally, coming from a generation to have watched Dravid at his prime standing through the best of bowlers like a tall ‘Wall’, this feels like a dream. One of the greatest ever to have graced the game will be seen guiding his team to a pinnacle till 2023 for a start. The next couple of years promise to be no less than a fairytale, and Rahul Sharad Dravid as India’s Head Coach is a phrase we’ve all waited to utter for years. Onwards and Upwards, Team India!!
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