"Is Rahul Dravid the proactive person or coach, which we are looking for in the T20 format?" - Parthiv Patel questions current head coach's methods
Former India wicket-keeper batter Parthiv Patel highlighted current head coach Rahul Dravid's inability to command a side in the shortest format of the game. The Men in Blue currently trail 0-2 in the ongoing five-match T20I series against the West Indies under Hardik Pandya's captaincy.
Team India's troubles took another turn for the worse following a two-wicket loss to the Men in Maroon in the second T20I. The team's new template is not set in motion yet and the start of the preparations for the 2024 T20I World Cup, has been rocky, to say the least.
Dravid took charge as head coach in late 2021 after Ravi Shastri and Co.'s tenure came to an end. He enjoyed a breezy start to his stint, but despite a relatively solid build-up to the 2022 T20 World Cup, a semi-final exit at the hands of eventual champions England was in store.
Parthiv Patel opined that Hardik Pandya does not have the proactive support from Dravid that he finds with Ashish Nehra in the Gujarat Titans (GT). He said on Cricbuzz:
"Hardik Pandya has been brilliant as a captain for GT, but over there he had support from Ashish Nehra as well. Is Rahul Dravid the proactive person or coach, which we are looking for in the T20 format? In my opinion, I don't think so. We need someone who is proactive, Hardik Pandya has that spark, but he needs that support and Rahul Dravid does not provide that for him."
The Men in Blue's ventures in the other formats are also not going well as hoped. The team recently lost the World Test Championship (WTC) and is in a state of disarray with only a couple of months left for the 2023 ODI World Cup.
Further stating that Pandya erred in bowling changes during the death overs of the second T20I, Patel added:
"Hardik Pandya's decision to not give Chahal the 18th over was the turning point in the match. He bowled really well in the 16th over, but he did not finish his quota of four overs. So, for me, that was something that turned the game in favor of the West Indies."
Chahal's leg spin is what brought India back into the contest following a solid knock by Nicholas Pooran. The 16th over bowled by the spinner, saw the fall of three wickets, resulting in the hosts collapsing from 127-5 to 129-8.
Despite figures of 2-19 off his three overs, Chahal did not avail a chance to bowl again. Skipper Pandya made use of Arshdeep Singh and Mukesh Kumar in the dying stages of the game, eventually resulting in West Indies winning with seven balls to spare.
"I felt that the best performer on the field was Akeal Hosein" - Parthiv Patel
Nicholas Pooran was adjudged as the player of the match for his counterattacking fifty after coming into bat at 2-2 in the first over of the run chase. All-rounder Akeal Hosein also made a strong case for himself by claiming crucial wickets and chipping with a valuable cameo under pressure.
Parthiv Patel praised Hosein's match-winning display. He said:
"Pooran was the man of the match, but I felt that the best performer on the field was Akeal Hosein. He got the crucial wicket of Tilak Varma when he was set, then he also produced a great delivery to dismiss Sanju Samson. He scored 16 runs under pressure, and the value of those 16 runs was way too much. Had he got out, then West Indies would have been done and dusted."
The two teams will face each other in the third T20I of the series at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on Tuesday, August 8.