Will Rahul Dravid get a contract extension even if India extend its trophyless run in ICC events this year? The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will expect the Dravid-coached Team India side to live up to their 'favourites' tag at the One Day International (ODI) World Cup later in 2023. After succeeding Ravi Shastri as Team India’s head coach, Dravid guided the Men In Blue to the semi-finals of the ICC T20 World Cup last year.
Rohit Sharma and Co. then secured their second-straight berth in the final of the ICC World Test Championship under Dravid's watch. However, Team India has failed to end its trophy drought as the Men In Blue last won an ICC title back in 2013. The Dravid-coached Indian side was crushed by England, who ended up lifting the T20 World Cup title in Australia.
In the WTC final, Australia handed India a crushing 209-run defeat at the Oval. Reflecting on Dravid's ongoing stint at Team India, former South Africa skipper Graeme Smith identified the biggest challenge of the legendary cricketer as a head coach. The former South Africa opener also urged the BCCI to give Dravid a fair opportunity to rebuild the Indian team.
'He’s a quality man and a quality performer'
“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.
{{/usCountry}}“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.
{{/usCountry}}After finishing runners-up last season, Dravid's Team India will kickstart their new WTC campaign in the Caribbean next month. India will play a two-match Test against the West Indies in the third edition of the WTC. The Asian giants will also play three ODIs and five T20Is against the West Indies in July.