Should Rahul Dravid become India’s permanent head coach?
During his playing days, Rahul Dravid was known for his discipline and work ethic. It was hard to dislodge him when he meditated his way to important knocks for Team India, day in and day out. ‘The Wall’ of Indian cricket had the potential to wear down quality bowling attacks with his sheer grit and determination. Scoring over 23,000 runs for a national team is no mean achievement.
Back in 2012, Dravid announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket. However, almost even a decade later, he has kept on passing his legacy to the younger generation. In 2018, he coached India U19, led by Prithvi Shaw, to glory in the World Cup in New Zealand. The pride in his face was palpable when the Boys in Blue lifted the trophy at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui.
Say hello to #TeamIndia‘s captain & coach for the Sri Lanka tour 👋🤜🤛
We are excited. Are you? 😃#SLvIND pic.twitter.com/OnNMzRX4ZB
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 27, 2021
Rahul Dravid guiding youngsters through
Dravid is also the head coach at the National Cricket Academy. However, his big break came when he was appointed as the head coach of the Shikhar Dhawan-led Indian team for the tour of Sri Lanka. The series is set to start on July 18 and the focus will be on Dravid and his methods of mentoring the team. Ravi Shastri, on the other hand, is with the Indian team for the five-match Tests against England.
In the meantime, Shastri’s contact with Team India is until the 2021 edition of the T20 World Cup which will be played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The question of who should be appointed as Team India’s new head coach remains. Shastri has done the job exceptionally well for the last four years and it won’t be a cakewalk for the new coach to replicate his success with Team India across three formats.
If Dravid tastes success on the Lanka tour, he could well be a strong contender to succeed Shastri at the helm. Bearing in mind his past records with the budding Indian cricketers, it may not be the worst of decisions to rope Dravid in. Over the time period, a number of youngsters have credited him for their growth and maybe, he could go forward and inculcate his values into the senior team.
