Rahul Dravid’s tenure as the head coach of Team India has so far been a strenuous one so far with barely any noticeable triumph since he took over from Ravi Shastri in 2021. Under Rahul Dravid’s coaching duration, India failed to make the finals of the Asia Cup and T20 World Cup in 2022 and recently lost the WTC Final 2023.
Some of the selection calls made by the Rohit Sharma-Dravid duo in these losses have attracted heavy criticism; they also haven’t been helped by injuries to some of the key players.
Rahul Dravid has the contract of head coach until the World Cup 2023 at home in October-November. However, there is a slim chance that he may be sacked by the BCCI in the coming month because Indian team has lacked stability and have looked timid in important matches in his tenure.
Here are 3 ex-cricketers who could replace Rahul Dravid as India’s next head coach:
Ashish Nehra
One of the first names in discussion among fans to replace Dravid is former India pacer Ashish Nehra. An ex-RCB bowling coach, Nehra’s reputation as a coach has scaled up since he took over the Gujarat Titans in IPL 2022. Nehra coached the side to their maiden IPL title and also to the final in IPL 2023 where they lost to CSK.
Nehra has been credited by the GT players to create a secure and relaxed environment in their camp, something on the lines which is needed in the turbulent Indian team. However, if Nehra wishes to coach Team India, he will likely have to relinquish the coaching duties at Gujarat Titans.
Gautam Gambhir
Another name that is strongly contended among fans is that of Gautam Gambhir, who is currently the mentor of LSG and has coached the LSG team to playoffs in both their seasons.
GG has one of the most luxurious CVs as a player: a T20 WC winner, ODI WC winner, part of the Indian Team that reached the number 1 ranking in Test cricket, and a two-time IPL winning skipper with KKR. What makes Gambhir a superb choice as a coach would be his boldness in making selection calls, and giving players the backing and security of their place in the XI.
We have all loved to listen to Gambhir as an expert or a pundit on Team India and their losses because he shoots straight from the hip, regardless of how his opinion would be considered in some quarters. Such audacity, and fearlessness need to be built in the Indian team as well.
Justin Langer
Former Australia head coach Justin Langer is much praised for his role in dragging the Australian team to the highs of world cricket after taking over in the aftermath of the 2018 Sandpaper scandal. A respected figure all around, Langer had a no-nonsense approach in the dressing room and had a tight command over his team, not letting individual culture grow, as it seems is the case in Team India.
Under Langer, Australia built a formidable core of players across formats and made terrific progress. They reached the semis of the 2019 ODI WC, retained the 2019 Ashes in England, won the 2021 T20 WC, and hammered England in the Ashes at home.
Langer’s micromanagement was something that didn’t please all the Aussie players, but sometimes teams need such a hard taskmaster to have success.
