3 important things for Rahul Dravid to address after contract extension as India coach
The BCCI announced the extension of contracts for the Indian men's team coaching staff, including head coach Rahul Dravid on Wednesday, November 29.
While the statement didn't categorically mention the duration of the contract extension, it is expected that Dravid, as well as Vikram Rathour (batting coach), Paras Mhambrey (bowling coach), and T Dilip (fielding coach) will carry on at least until the T20 World Cup in June 2024.
The aforementioned coaching staff saw their contracts expire at the end of the ODI World Cup, where India lost the final to Australia despite winning ten games on the spin in the build-up to the summit clash. VVS Laxman is currently overseeing the Suryakumar Yadav-led Indian team in the ongoing T20I series against the Aussies.
Dravid and company will head to South Africa in December for a tour comprising three T20Is, three ODIs, and two Tests. The coaching staff will have a few challenges and questions to address prior to the same as well as the period leading into the T20 World Cup if not beyond that.
In this regard, we look at three major things for Dravid to address in lieu of him continuing as India's coach.
#1 The T20I future of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli
Post India's semifinal exit at the T20 World Cup 2022, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli haven't played a game in the format at the international level. While a good part of it can be put down to workload management in a bid to prioritize the 50-over format, the time has come to address the way forward.
Various reports have been doing the rounds around the future of the two stalwarts in T20Is and their possible inclusion in the team's plans ahead of the World Cup in the West Indies and USA in 2024.
With Hardik Pandya leading India in the majority of the T20 games in the last year and several youngsters grabbing their chances - Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Rinku Singh to name a few - Dravid has to take a call to ensure that what is viewed the best team for that World Cup will play as many games as possible.
Having taken a couple of steps forward, the last thing the think-tank would want to do is go four steps back. Do they view Rohit and Virat as key components of their quest for a title next year? Whatever the answer is, Dravid and the selectors have to be clear in their minds and lay out the message accordingly.
#2 How to initiate the Test team's transition?
India commenced the World Test Championship cycle of 2023-25 with a 1-0 series win in the West Indies and next up is a two-match rubber in South Africa, a land where they've never won a Test series.
Having let their best opportunity ever to win a series in the rainbow nation slip away in 2021-22, not much has changed in terms of the team's transition. Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane were both dropped thereafter, only for them to earn a recall at different stages. Rahane was also named vice-captain for the West Indies Tests although his returns with the bat weren't impressive.
India have some massive Test assignments coming up apart from the South Africa tour, with England coming home for a five-match series and the team traveling to Australia for five games towards the end of 2024.
With majority of the batting lineup on the wrong side of their thirties and Rishabh Pant unlikely to feature in South Africa, a tricky transition period beckons. More so with Jaiswal and Gill, who played in the Caribbean, lacking experience in seam-friendly conditions.
Unless the batting transition is seen through smoothly, India will find the going tough should a time come where most of their batters lack collective experience. It could prove to be tough at home too with Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja not getting any younger and this is another matter to solve for Dravid.
#3 The leadership roadmap
While Pandya should lead India at the T20 World Cup should Rohit not feature in it, the latter's future is bound to come with another challenge - who is the next long-term captain, and is split-captaincy an option?
The second of those is inevitable if Pandya comes at the helm of either, if not both white-ball outfits, for it has been long since he has played a Test. Pant's comeback will have to be overseen smoothly too and entrusting him with leadership immediately doesn't sound wise.
This leaves KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, and Jasprit Bumrah as the other potential candidates although Bumrah's workload management goes against him. The possibility of grooming a very young leader in Shubman Gill also can't be ruled out but at this point, there are plenty of options on the table with no clear standout - a fact made pretty obvious by the number of captains India have had since the start of 2022.
The period right after an ODI World Cup often comes with challenges of this kind. While it is unclear how long Dravid will coach India in the next four-year cycle, the seeds of a smooth transition have to be sown right away under his eyes.
Can India clinch their first Test series triumph in South Africa under Dravid's tutelage? Have your say in the comments section below!