After a victorious campaign at the T20 World Cup 2024, former head coach Rahul Dravid reflects on the lowest point of his coaching career during three years (2021-2024). In the three years of Rahul Dravid’s tenure, the Indian cricket men’s team had achieved great heights from becoming number one in Test and ODI.
Rahul Dravid will remain iconic as he is now enlisted among the best coaches who guided Indian men to achieve favorable results. The 51-year-old guided Rohit Sharma and company to witness a victorious stint in the T20 World Cup 2024. Apart from winning the T20 World Cup 2024, the Men-In-Blue reached the finals of the 2023 ODI World Cup, were runners-up in the 2023 ICC World Test Championship, and semifinalists in the 2022 T20 World Cup.
“It was a really big opportunity for us to win that series” : Rahul Dravid
Rahul Dravid spoke about his lowest point guiding team India during his tenure of three years. The 51-year-old former head coach discussed India being on the losing side in the Test series against South Africa in 2021-2022. The upset in the Test series against South Africa is Rahul Dravid’s most letdown moment in his career.
Mr. Dependable expressed distress over not winning a single Test series in South Africa. In the Test series held in South Africa in 2021-2022, India won their first match in Centurion by 113 runs. However, in the second and third Test, India fell short. India lost the remaining two Test games by seven wickets in Johannesburg and Cape Town, respectively. Therefore, South Africa seized the series by 2-1. Rahul Dravid told ESPNcricinfo that,
“If you ask me what is the lowest point, I would say the South Africa Test series early on in my career. We won the first Test match in South Africa in Centurion, and then we were playing in the second and third Test match. We have never won a series in South Africa, as you know,”
Furthermore, Rahul Dravid described the Test series as a big opportunity to win. Rahul Dravid also pointed out the absence of certain senior players, including Rohit Sharma, who was injured. In addition, the former head coach discussed how India could have easily won the series. Team India was close to winning in the remaining two games in the third inning, as Rahul Dravid said. Furthermore, he praised South Africa’s game and spoke his mind on how India could have set a decent score to win the game.
“It was a really big opportunity for us to win that series. Some of our senior players were not there. Rohit Sharma was injured, and we didn’t have some senior players in that series. But we were very close, and in both the Test matches—the second and the third test matches—in the third inning, we had a big opportunity. We could have set a decent score and won the game, but South Africa played well. So, I would say that was probably my lowest point in my coaching of not being able to win that series in spite of being ahead,”