India is moving into a new era, with Rahul Dravid taking the role of coach, and Rohit Sharma becoming new India’s T20I captain. With proven coaching records at the Under-19 level, Dravid is expected to bring a new set of standards to lift Indian men’s cricket and help the team end the title drought since 2013. So, what are the changes that could be seen in new India under Rahul Dravid? Cricwizz takes a look.
🚨 NEWS 🚨: Mr Rahul Dravid appointed as Head Coach - Team India (Senior Men)
— BCCI (@BCCI) November 3, 2021
More Details 🔽
Commitment to excel at all costs
During his playing days, Dravid has shown great commitment to the team’s cause, even choosing to keep wickets in ODIs. He was the anchor of Team India in Test cricket and was the architect of many Test victories. He proved team’s cause is above personal interests, likes and goals. As a captain, he was ruthless as he once declared India’s innings with Sachin Tendulkar 6 runs short of a double ton – all for the team’s cause. He would like to bring in the same sense of commitment in the Indian players to keep personal interests, achievements, and records on the sidelines and work towards achieving the team’s goals.
Raise the standards of practice, team’s selections, and team’s goals
A problem area during the Ravi Shastri’s era as coach was the team selection. It was a weakness that was not addressed and continued in Shastri’s last tournament in the 2021 World T20. It saw India losing quite a few games that they should have won. Dravid, who is a firm believer in rewarding talent, form, and experience over favoritism, could bring in a set of standards for team selections that could pave the way for greater success.
Also, a new set of standards would be set in at practice sessions to sort out mental or technical frailties. Dravid is also good at fine-tuning the team’s goals to the micro level to achieve the larger aim as it’s the sum of small parts that make it a whole.
More focused strategy
Another area India suffered during the Kohli-Shastri era was the lack of strategies that could work in their favour. India was found wanting in areas such as T20I death overs, a top-heavy batting order in limited-overs cricket, and choking in knockout matches. With Dravid being a good observant of the game, he would come up with strategies to work on these problem areas, and solve India’s current woes.
Transition
India has been exposed in T20Is in the 2021 World T20, and Dravid has to give the team a makeover or a transition to shift from under-achievers to over-achievers in this format. He is likely to bring in a change of attitude on how Team India approaches this format, especially with another World T20 tournament next year. Dravid has a task at hand, but with The Wall himself being a veteran in T20 cricket in IPL, he has the experience to see India make a comfortable transition in this format.
I think Rahul Dravid is going to make a fantastic head coach for #India …
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) November 3, 2021
From good to great team
Although Kohli would admit that their success goes beyond trophies, it cannot be denied that winning trophies is a hallmark of great teams. And that’s what coach Dravid would be working on. He has two World Cups to lay his hands on in the next two years. He has to make players dream that they could break the title jinx, and start winning trophies again. And once India tastes success in ICC tournaments, then there will be no stopping Team India from turning into a great team.
