AMONG THE STELLAR invitees for the recent silver jubilee celebration of Sunil Gavaskar’s CHAMPS Foundation (which supports former sportspersons and their families) were Rahul Dravid and Ajit Agarkar.
The past few months have been frenetic for the head coach and chief selector, given the number of assignments and travel involved, as also emotionally draining, with the roller-coaster ride Indian cricket has been through. A spectacular ODI World Cup campaign ended in heartbreak in the final. The quest to finally win a Test series in South Africa misfired as India lost the first match. Though the team fought back to square the rubber, glory proved elusive. The season was turning out to be a bit of a letdown, but then came the redemption song against England; India clinically dismantled Bazball to hand the visitors a 4-1 drubbing.
Fresh from the win, Dravid and Agarkar said they were looking forward to some rest and recreation this IPL season. Dravid, an inveterate ‘home bird’ as it were, revealed he would be spending time with his family in Bengaluru. Agarkar, a self-confessed golf-junkie, was eager to resume teeing off on the greens of Mumbai.
However, the desire to savour this triumph quietly and not be in the thick of things for the IPL season was wishful thinking. The IPL is always compelling, but this season even more so for those handling portfolios like coaching, selection and captaincy, as it leads directly into the T20 World Cup. Even if away from the action directly, Dravid and Agarkar have to be ‘on the ball’.
Tracking and analysing players from all over the world—who will be part of opposing teams in the World Cup—will be an important part of the agenda for these two, and by extension, captain Rohit Sharma, too.
この記事は THE WEEK India の April 07, 2024 版に掲載されています。
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この記事は THE WEEK India の April 07, 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
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