The future of Rahul Dravid's coaching contract with the Indian cricket team is uncertain, even if India's trophyless streak in ICC events continues this year. As the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) looks ahead to the One Day International (ODI) World Cup in 2023, they will undoubtedly expect the Dravid-led Team India to live up to their reputation as favorites. Dravid took charge as the head coach after Ravi Shastri, and under his guidance, the Men In Blue reached the semi-finals of the ICC T20 World Cup last year.
Plethora of talent but needs balancing
Dravid at the helm led to Team India securing their second consecutive berth in the final of the ICC World Test Championship. Despite these commendable achievements, the Indian team has been unable to break their trophy drought since their last ICC title win in 2013. In a disappointing turn of events, the Dravid-coached Indian side faced a crushing defeat at the hands of England, who ultimately clinched the T20 World Cup title in Australia.
In the WTC final Australia inflicted a resounding 209-run defeat on India at the Oval. As he contemplated Rahul Dravid's current tenure with Team India, ex-South Africa captain Graeme Smith pinpointed the chief hurdle faced by the esteemed cricketer in his role as head coach. The former South Africa opener emphasised the importance for the BCCI to grant Dravid a just chance to reconstruct the Indian team.
“When you get involved in a leadership role in Indian cricket, the expectation is something that you are going to have to come to terms with. There’s a huge quality of players. India can put two or three teams together. The biggest challenge in India for a leader is balancing those squads, balancing your tour schedules, the different formats, and those are some of the biggest decisions that are coming ahead of Rahul and his selection team."
"What do those squads look like, how do they move those teams forward. He’s a quality man and a quality performer. He’s shown it right through as a coach. So, you’ve got to give him a fair opportunity now to kind of rebuild India,” Smith told the Times of India in an interview.
Next month, Rahul Dravid's Team India is set to commence their new campaign in the World Test Championship (WTC) as they travel to the Caribbean. In the third edition of the WTC, India will engage in a two-match Test series against the West Indies. Alongside the Tests, the formidable Asian team will also compete in three One Day Internationals (ODIs) and five Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) against the West Indies during the month of July.
