Gautam Gambhir Gave An Honest Take On Rahul Dravid’s Future As Team India Coach

Former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir has extended his support to Rahul Dravid to continue as Team India’s head coach if he is willing to carry on with the job. Commending the Indian cricket legend for his instrumental role in leading the Men in Blue to the final of the 2023 World Cup, Gambhir emphasized that the entirety of a coach’s tenure should not be judged based on a single loss.

Gautam Gambhir Gave An Honest Take On Rahul Dravid’s Future As Team India Coach

Guided by the captain-coach duo of Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid, the Indian cricket team advanced to the final of the 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) and the 2023 ODI World Cup, ultimately facing defeat against Australia on both occasions.

As Dravid’s tenure with the Indian team concluded after the World Cup, there are speculations circulating that the former Indian cricketer may choose not to extend his role. 

Recently, in a Sportskeeda discussion, Gautam Gambhir expressed that if Dravid is willing to continue coaching Team India, he should be granted a two-year extension. He said:

“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,” Gambhir was quoted as saying by Sportskeeda.

Gambhir further pointed that the Indian side could be in a remodeling phase soon as the likes of Rohit Sharma and Mohammed Shami are unlikely to be around for the next ODI World Cup. He added:

“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,” Gambhir concluded.

During the same interaction, former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram also backed Dravid and praised him by saying that his calm personality and sharp cricketing mind combine to make him a very good coach. He 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 added: “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,”