3 reasons why Rahul Dravid would be the perfect head coach for Rajasthan Royals
Although he got out of the India men's head coach job on his own terms, it seems like Rahul Dravid doesn't want to stay too far away from the sport.
According to a report in The Times of India, the former India captain is on the radar of his erstwhile home IPL franchise - Rajasthan Royals (RR) - to take up the head coach's role. An announcement might not be too far away.
There are not too many good coaches available in India, especially for T20Is. But Dravid, after leading India to the 2024 men's T20 World Cup title and emerging as one of the most loved coaches in Indian cricket history, has made his credentials as good as any.
The Royals are unlikely to be the only franchise looking for his signature. But if they manage to pull it off, it might be one of the most brilliant appointments. Here, we explain why via three points:
#3 Dravid would bring familiarity and command respect
The move can be seen as similar to Gautam Gambhir's homecoming at Kolkata Knight Riders which ended in a title this year. When legends return to their old franchise, they bring automatic and instant respect. They also affirm to the owners and other stakeholders that the carefully built team culture would remain mostly untouched because of the new coach's familiarity with it and a deep new-found connection with fans who grew up seeing them play for the team.
Most of the players Dravid will see at the Royals, he would have almost certainly coached them before. He'd not need to demand respect or gain the trust of Sanju Samson, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, among many others.
The players would want to listen to him and that's the most important pre-condition for any successful coach. Similarly, the fans won't take too long to get behind the new coach, especially after seeing him lift that trophy in the West Indies only a few weeks earlier.
#2 RR need a man-manager to take them to the next level
Winning is a habit but so is losing. For franchises who haven't won the IPL title ever or in ages, like RR, a mental block on self-confidence and belief is easy to form.
Last season, they were the best team for the first half of the season but stumbled badly close to the end, losing all the momentum and getting out in the second Qualifier. The reasons seemed obvious: RR have one of the youngest squads in the team and the management made some gruesome selection errors at the business end of the tournament.
Dravid is your man to correct both shortcomings. He helped end India's trophy drought by being a brilliant man manager, giving players the confidence to express themselves even in the most difficult situations and the biggest stages.
Dravid was also a popular figure in the Indian team because he kept the stage always open to questions and was often praised as approachable. That's what RR's young team needs.
They need someone to put a hand on the shoulder and telling them that they belong at the level; someone to put a meticulous effort behind the scenes to boost their confidence when needed, while also helping out with the strategical and personal needs.
#3 Dravid would be able to enjoy his time at RR
Apart from fulfiling the club's needs, it's also important to mention that Dravid never wanted to be a 12-months work guy. Even while in charge of India, he was happy to prioritize his family and space, taking regular breaks during less consequentional matches.
It took a lot of convincing for him to join at the first place because he was worried about the extensive travel outside India. At RR, he won't need to do that but instead would require just a few trips around the country for a couple of months.
RR have a young captain in Sanju Samson, so ego clashes would unlikely be an issue. The job won't be full time and take away Dravid's personal space and he'll probably find it fun to coach a team which already gives enough importance to data and man-management and need someone to give them a robust winning mentality.