"Not the first time it happened" - Rahul Dravid looks back at cap-throwing incident from 2014
It isn't every day that a certain Rahul Dravid loses his cool. Known for his ability to stay calm in the most high-pressure situations, the former India player once threw away his cap in disgust during an IPL 2014 game.
In an interaction with CRED's YouTube channel, Dravid spoke about the incident that happened between an IPL 2014 game between the Rajasthan Royals (RR) and the Mumbai Indians (MI) The legend also noted that it wasn't the first time he lost his cool on the field.
In that game against MI, RR conceded 195 runs off 14.4 overs to allow Rohit Sharma's team to surpass them on net run rate and qualify for the playoffs. Aditya Tare completed the unthinkable by hitting 'that' six over the square-leg boundary. That irked the then RR mentor Dravid so much so that he threw away his cap in anger.
It was a rare show of emotion from a player who is renowned for being the epitome of calmness. Dravid said that wasn't one of his proudest moments. He also offered advice to youngsters on how to thrive in such high-pressure situations. He said:
"Not one of my proudest moments, but I have always tried to be someone able to manage (his) emotions and control his emotions. The thing with international cricket is there's always a lot of pressure on you. There's a lot of eyeballs, a lot of focus on everything you do, all your actions both on and off the field. I think one of the ways to really be your best is to be able to maybe, like we say, shut out the noise."
Rahul Dravid also admitted that he had previously lost his cool, but things never got beyond the closed doors of the dressing room. He added:
"A lot of it has come naturally, but a large part of it I have always had to work on. I realise that when I stay calm and relaxed, I perform my best. Obviously, this was one occasion where I lost it and couldn't do that, but that happens."
"It's not the first time it's happened to me; it does happen. It was the first time it had happened publicly. Other times it might have happened in the privacy of the dressing room (smiles). "
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There's a famous story of one such behind-the-scenes outburst from Rahul Dravid. While writing for Cricinfo in 2012, his wife Vijeeta wrote about how the former captain threw a chair in the dressing room after India's defeat to England in Mumbai during the famous 2006 Test series. Dravid later regretted about the incident, as revealed by Vijeeta.
Rahul Dravid likely to return as India coach during the India-New Zealand series
BCCI spoke with batting legend Rahul Dravid and asked if he would be interested in coaching Team India. Rahul has politely refused. He would like to concentrate on junior cricket and the National Cricket Academy (NCA) that's based out Bangalore.
Rahul Dravid will reportedly return to the senior Indian team as the head coach during the India-New Zealand series in November. The BCCI is struggling to find a suitable Indian replacement for Ravi Shastri, who is set to resign after the T20 World Cup. Till then, Rahul Dravid is likely to be the team's interim coach.
A BCCI official, whole talking about the same, said while speaking to The Indian Express:
“We wanted the candidate whom we feel is best suited for the job to agree first (to apply for the job). We don’t want a situation where we get applications, but no one is seen as ideal. It will be embarrassing for the board and for the candidates too. So it’s better to find a suitable candidate first, till then Dravid can be interim coach.”
Dravid is unlikely to take up the job full-time. Some media reports suggest that he has already declined the offer.