“Not right to brand a coach as good or bad based on one loss” - Gautam Gambhir backs extension for Rahul Dravid
Former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir has backed Rahul Dravid to continue as head coach of the senior men’s team if he is willing to carry on with the high-pressure job. Praising the Indian legend for his role in guiding the Men in Blue to the final of the 2023 World Cup, Gambhir stated that one loss cannot define a coach’s tenure.
Under the Rohit Sharma-Dravid captain coach combine, India reached the final of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 and the 2023 ODI World Cup, going down to Australia on both occasions.
Dravid’s contract with the Indian team expired following the World Cup. There are reports doing the round that he might not continue in the role. During a discussion on Sportskeeda, Gambhir opined that Dravid must be given a two-year extension if he willing to continue coaching Team India.
“If you are talking about the World Cup, considering the way India have performed, his contract should definitely be renewed. It is not right to brand a coach as good or bad based on one loss. Just like players, every coach also wants to win the World Cup for his team,” he said.
Explaining why he wants Dravid to stay on, Gambhir pointed that India could be in a rebuilding phase soon with the likes of Rohit Sharma and Mohammed Shami unlikely to be around for the next ODI World Cup.
“If he wants to renew it, he should get at least a two-year extension because India will go into a rebuilding phase. We might not see Rohit, [Jasprit] Bumrah, Shami in the next World Cup. There is nothing better than continuity,” the 42-year-old explained.
Meanwhile, according to some reports, Dravid could join Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) as mentor for IPL 2024, replacing Gambhir.
“He has a great cricketing mind” - Wasim Akram on Rahul Dravid
During the same interaction, former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram hailed Dravid and said that his calm personality and sharp cricketing mind combine to make him a very good coach. Sharing his thoughts on the Indian legend, Akram said:
“I have known Rahul for a long time and have seen his coaching style as well. As a person, he is very calm. That also has been part of his coaching success. He has a great cricketing mind.
"He came after coaching the A team, was the NCA head as well. He knows the entire system and you need a coach who is a little laidback. The job of a coach is to be behind the scenes. That’s the secret of his success most of the times,” he added.
Dravid took over as coach of the Indian team after Ravi Shastri’s tenure ended following the 2021 T20 World Cup.