Coach Rahul Dravid Putting The Team First

As India coach, Rahul Dravid will focus on open communication and on putting the team first

- Neeru Bhatia

A grinning Sourav Ganguly told the audience at the 40th Sharjah International Book Fair: “I got a call from him (Samit) saying that his father (Rahul Dravid) was being too strict with him and that he needed to be taken away. That is when I called Rahul and told him it was time for him to join the national team.” Jokes apart, it was no secret that the BCCI president was always keen on his teammate, friend and former deputy captain succeeding Ravi Shastri as the coach of the Indian men’s team. It took some convincing, but Dravid eventually agreed.

Ganguly was not alone in coaxing Dravid. Reportedly, some current players, too, requested Dravid to take up the job. The reason—he had worked with several of them at the Under-19 and India A level, or as the head of the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. There was already a sense of familiarity; the players preferred him to a new, relatively unknown face.

While Dravid has coached the likes of K.L. Rahul, Prithvi Shaw, Shubman Gill, Mayank Agarwal and Hanuma Vihari, he has also played for India with Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara.

“I have been fortunate to have known him for a long time,” said India T20I vice captain K.L. Rahul. “As a youngster, I learned [more about] the art of batting from him; it was kind of him to do so back home in Karnataka. Since he finished playing, he has been helping boys around the country. To have him in the setup is a great opportunity for all of us to learn.”