"Only the blame goes to Rahul Dravid when the team fails, but when the team wins, he’ll be forgotten"- Dodda Ganesh
Former Indian cricketer Dodda Ganesh recently put his weight behind Rahul Dravid and termed him an unsung hero of Indian cricket. Ganesh pointed out that the current Indian head coach is always made a scapegoat or a punching bag whenever the team loses but is never given credit for a win.
Rahul Dravid took over charge of the role from Ravi Shastri after the 2021 T20 World Cup and has seen a couple of highs and also a few lows in his journey so far.
He has been heavily criticized by the fans and a few former cricketers for experimenting with team combinations and for also losing the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final. However, he has not received much acclaim when the team has done well.
Dodda Ganesh empathized with Dravid for the same and opened up that he desires for India to win the upcoming World Cup for the coach. Ganesh took to his X account and wrote:
"India on the verge of a thumping win today in the #AsiaCup finals. And, Rahul Dravid is still not trending on X. Well, only the blame goes to Rahul when the team fails, but when the team wins, he’ll be forgotten. Well, the kind of world we live in. I so badly want India to win the #WC2023 for the sake of Rahul Dravid. The unsung hero of Indian cricket #INDvSL.
Team India won their first multi-nation tournament under Rahul Dravid by beating Sri Lanka to lift Asia Cup 2023
Sri Lanka batted first in the Asia Cup 2023 final against India on Sunday (September 17) and got bundled out meekly for just 50 runs. Mohammed Siraj ran through their batting order and ended up with wonderful figures of 7-1-21-6.
Shubman Gill (27*) and Ishan Kishan (23*) then chased down the target in 6.1 overs to help India lift the trophy for the eighth time. Speaking at a post-match presentation, Indian captain Rohit Sharma reflected on the win and said:
"It was a great performance. To come out and play in the finals shows the mental character of everyone who has been a part of the team. It was great from the outset. The way we started with the ball and then a clinical finish with the bat. Our seamers are working really hard for many years and to be rewarded like that is very pleasing for the side moving forward."
He added:
"They're clear with what they want to do for the team. It was good to see that and very clinical. A performance like that in the final will be cherished for a long time. I never thought it was going to do that much. It comes back to the skillset of the individuals."