After Team India’s ICC World Cup 2023 campaign, there were some questions on who will be the head coach of Team India after Rahul Dravid. The BCCI has approached a few people, but eventually, they have decided to extend Rahul Dravid’s head coach contract. Rahul Dravid will be the head coach of Team India, at least till the ICC World T20 2024 in the West Indies and the US. Today, we will talk about a few big challenges for Rahul Dravid as a coach in his 2nd term. So let’s start.
What has Rahul Dravid achieved in the last two years?
A legendary Indian batter Rahul Dravid has been one of the successful players in the history of the game. He has played so many memorable knocks and won the game for his team as a player.
Rahul Dravid became the head coach of Team India at the start of 2022. He started his tenure with the South Africa tour where India lost both the ODI and test series. In these two years, Team India has won a few bilateral series’ against good teams. But if we look at big assignments, Team India has only won one Asia Cup this year.
The Indian team had a good chance to win their first-ever test series in South Africa. But after the first test, they lost back-to-back test matches and lost the series. In Dravid’s tenure till now, Team India also lost a T20I WC 2022 semifinal, a World Test Championship 2023 final, and an ODI WC 2023 final as well. So Rahul Dravid didn’t have much to show as a head coach.
BCCI approached a few people for this role
It was given that Rahul Dravid will not extend his contract after the ODI WC 2023. The BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) has approached a few people for this role. VVS Laxman was one of the options as he was with the Indian team who went for an Asian Games. Ashish Nehra was also approached by the BCCI but the pacer denied the offer.
Eventually, the BCCI convinced Rahul Dravid to stay as head coach of Team India. There were some speculations that a few IPL franchises are in talks with Rahul Dravid to be their head coach. But after BCCI extended Dravid’s contract, all the speculations are of no value.
Now let’s see what are the biggest challenges for Rahul Dravid as a head coach in his 2nd term.
Big challenges for Rahul Dravid in his 2nd term
Players’s workload management will be the topmost priority
Rahul Dravid has to make sure that the core players get the proper rest. Especially the fast bowler’s workload management is the foremost priority. The pacers like Mohammad Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, etc are one of the main bowlers for Team India. So it’s better to use them properly at big stages and gives them rest when needed.
Hardik Pandya’s injury is also a concern for Rahul Dravid and Team India. They will have to figure it out quickly and have a clarity on Pandya’s fitness. If Hardik is not fully fit, the team management has to give chances to a few other players who can play that certain role that Pandya has been playing.
The approach in the T20Is
Other teams nowadays approach T20 cricket differently. They always look to go hard at the opposition right from the start. While some former players and experts think that Team India plays T20 cricket as extension of ODI cricket.
Captain Rohit Sharma talks about the approach and shows himself that’s how the team wanted to play cricket. But still the team hasn’t found a way to play that brand of cricket. Rahul Dravid will look into it closely as the T20 WC is not far away.
Finding the next captains across all three formats
Now, Rohit Sharma is nearly 38. It looks difficult for him to play till the next ODI WC. So Rahul Dravid has a challenge to find Rohit’s successor. Especially in white ball cricket. In tests, Rohit might still play till the next WTC cycle.
Winning an ICC trophy for Team India
Team India hasn’t won any ICC trophy since Champions Trophy 2013. If Rahul Dravid win an ICC title as a coach, it will be a huge achievement for him and the team.
Finding the back-up fast bowlers across formats
Rotating the fast bowlers is very important. Especially in the longer format of the game. We have also seen the bowlers didn’t able to defend the targets in SA and a big target against England in a one-off test in England.
In T20Is, Team India needs someone who can bowl well in all conditions other than Bumrah and Siraj. Rahul Dravid’s biggest challenge is to find a perfect group of fast bowlers for the T20 WC 2024.
Winning a test series in South Africa
India hasn’t won a single test series in SA. Dravid will have the opportunity again as Team India will play a two-match test series in SA in less than a month.
Conclusion
So these are the few big challenges that Rahul Dravid will have to face in his 2nd term as a head coach. England will also come to play five tests and the Bazball challenge will also be there for Team India. Let’s see how he goes about his business.
FAQ’s
(1) For how long Rahul Dravid will be the head coach of Team India?
As of now, it is clear that Dravid will be the head coach till the ICC WT20 2024.
(2) Is the support staff also retained by the BCCI?
Yes. The whole support staff including the batting coach, bowling coach, and fielding coach is also retained by the BCCI.