Coaching Watch: Rahul Dravid.

[sandeep]

Everybody, and I mean literally everybody was in unanimous agreement, nodding away as to how Rahul Dravid was an excellent choice for the job of coaching the Indian national men's cricket team.  And they have been saying this for quite some time.  

 

Sure, he performed at an unquestionably brilliant level for the u19 team, the 'A' team, and the academy.   No doubt about it.  And that does support his case - to an extent.  

 

Dravid has personally, directly worked with almost 100% of the young players who will be in contention for slots in the test XI over the next few years.  He has established a working relationship and can build on that easily, and will enjoy a high degree of trust from players, given his reputation and consistent resume to be fair and impartial.  This is not a small thing for any Indian coach to enjoy, and has not been earned easily. 

 

Nor can one dispute his credentials and experience as an international player.  All of that being said, the job that he has just started with, is a different animal.  The Indian team is unlike any other cricket  team on the circuit.  This is a team, that is almost always, going to have 15+ test calibre players to pick from, for any given test match, in any given situation.   This is not a team filled with raw and inexperienced kids.  This is, quite literally, a team of all-stars - the best of best, cherry-picked from the top performers in the forty-seven teams of Indian First-Class Cricket.  The primary contribution that the coach of the national team is going to have to make, is going to be strategic.  What Dravid needs to bring to the table, is assist the captain - whoever that might be, in bringing this team up to speed with modern day cricket tactics - especially in the white ball arena.  This is where the Indian team has demonstrated consistent conservatism of approach - across the board, but especially with the bat.  

 

Some of us have been murmuring, elbowing, and then shouting with frustration - for multiple years now - about how the Indian team think tank has been preventing its talented players from delivering their best performances - especially when it comes to team performances as a whole.  For far too long - first under the much-hyped 'dhoniconda' template, the Indian white ball team chose to satisfy itself with aiming at "par" or 'close to par' totals.  'Take the big wobble and the indefensible low score off the table; even if it means giving up the possibility of achieving a par+50 score' - so went the Dhoni school of white-ball captaincy.  His preferred method of playing the odds, "taking it deep" with ball or bat, meant that India were perpetually happy with totals in the low 300s even when possessing players in their XI and squad who could potentially rip apart oppositions and set India on the path to consistent 350+ scores.  I still remember feeling hopeful when Virat took over as captain - surely this bloke - the modern day ODI run machine who possesses a preternatural instinct for ODI run-scoring, is going to move India beyond the 2011 batting template?  Especially taking into account the fact that the middle 30 over powerplay meant that the "old" math of 300 is a 'good' score was no longer true? But as we all saw, this was never going to be the case.  

 

Today I have to sit by and watch as England are crowned ODI champions, and they comfortably and consistently outperform India with the bat in white ball cricket - in spite of India having arguably (and for me unambiguously) much better batting skill and talent in their XI, their squad, and beyond.  And this is directly attributable to one thing and one thing alone - a refusal to adjust the team batting unit's mindset and methodology when it comes to ODI batting.  A refusal to demand more selflessness from the "top order", a refusal to ask the openers and #3 bat to stop chasing 'consistency' and individual landmarks in the guise of 'setting platforms', and bat to a team plan instead of an individual one.  

 

Now many on this forum know quite well that this batting methodology issue has been a pet peeve of mine, since 2015 - and yes, I am indeed harping on this a bit too much right now.  But this digression albeit a bit indulgent, is one that can support my ultimate point.  Which is to table a serious concern regarding what Rahul Dravid will or will not be able to bring to the table as Head Coach of Team India.  Can Dravid identify the strategic and tactical changes - major and minor - that this team needs to make, in order to take that next step and become the world-beating juggernaut it is capable of being?  

 

I do not doubt his willingness to do so.  But I wish I could be more confident on the question of whether he is capable or not.  

 

Take for example - the redemption and re-birth of Rohit Sharma the test batsman.  Love him or hate him, Ravi Shastri had the brains, to recognize the fact that Rohit still offered India the possibility of contributions at a 'great' level to the test team.  And he had the balls, to push forward and convert him into a test cricket opener, when he had never EVER, opened the batting at even a FC level.  This was a gutsy call, that flew in the face of conventional wisdom.  And as is always the case in Indian cricket - there were strong, logical, persuasive arguments to be made in favor of other players who 'deserved' the opportunity instead of Rohit, or offered better promise.  But Ravi 'gotey muh mein' Shastri made the big call, and stuck by it.  And look how it turned out.  Oh there were so many angry fans and words - as there always are with Indian cricket.  But now all of that has faded to black, and you will find even those who are on the record as Shastri haters, and Rohit Sharma disbelievers, begrudgingly accept Rohit as a critical, foundational member of the test XI.  

 

Rahul Dravid has made many a 'gutsy' call in his days.  As captain, he famously declared the Indian innings leaving Tendulkar at 194*.  I was watching that game live - and can recall all the drama and hype that went on and on; and on - about  that decision.  So its not that Dravid lacks the courage to make the tough call.  The question is, does he have the judgement? 

 

This is the captain, remember, that openly collaborated with 'Guru Greg' - a guy who was viciously selfish, made multiple moves and decisions that were distinctly and unambiguously, to the detriment of Indian Cricket.  Why?  Because Dravid has always been the guy that does the 'right' thing.  The 'textbook' thing.  The conventional thing. Does he now have what it takes to defy conservatism? To not advocate the 'textbook' solution?

 

And 8 times out of 10, there's not much terribly wrong with following the 'conventional wisdom'.  Its percentage cricket you see, playing the probabilities.  But there are many a times, when champion teams step up and differentiate themselves from the rest of the pack, by zigging instead of zagging.  And when push comes to shove, I don't know if Dravid is capable of that.  What is Dravid's record as coach in the IPL?  I'm not even going to bring up his time as a player in the IPL, and the 'test-class' Bangalore IPL squad that was put together around him in the inaugural IPL season.  

 

I do not have confidence that 'nice guy' Dravid - who was oh so good at mentoring and guiding all those young kids and prospects - whether its at the u19 team, the 'A' tours, or the academy - where the brief is exactly that - to be nice.  To be 'fair'.  To help everyone become the best version of themselves - whether that 'nice guy' Dravid can be ruthless enough to make that tough call.  To be "unfair" to a hardworking player who may be doing arguably well enough to hold their place in the team, in favor of that maverick who has not proven himself yet - but could be just the player that helps the India team take that next step to greatness.  

 

Take his debut game as Coach of Team India for instance.  India were playing at home, in a meaningless bilateral.  India played an XI with both Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Deepak Chahar in it.  Avesh Khan -  the man in form, the bowler who impressed all and sundry this IPL as a genuine wicket-taking threat in multiple phases of the game, sat there on the bench wearing his yellow substitute apron.  Now one can argue that Deepak Chahar has done nothing 'wrong' to be benched - he has earned his right to be in  this game, a game being played in his 'home' state.  And hey, nothing wrong with that per se, its the nice thing to do - give a young player an opportunity to play an India game at his 'home' stadium.  But is that what's best for Team India?  

 

So tl;dr this long rant filled with random tangents and written as a stream of consciousness in about 10 minutes or so, boils down to this - The Indian national team is not filled with players that need hand-holding or mentoring.  Its a team that's stuck in the quick-sand of conservatism, and is in need of a tactical re-boot.  It is crying out for a strong leader, one that sets the tone on unselfish, team first, no-nonsense aggressive cricket.  A team that is expected to be continually blessed with a steady stream of prospects, but one that needs a Master and Commander that can direct that gush of talent, and extract collective greatness from them.  Be laser-focused on the goal of team greatness, and capable of ruthless decision making when the situation calls for it.  Can Dravid be that guy?  

 

 

Edited November 18, 2021 by sandeep

[diga]

we all have our wishlist.. but end of the day, what matters is India winning.

Immediate goal would be to win our first series in South Africa and 1 ICC trophy during his tenure

[rangeelaraja]

58 minutes ago, sandeep said:

Everybody, and I mean literally everybody was in unanimous agreement, nodding away as to how Rahul Dravid was an excellent choice for the job of coaching the Indian national men's cricket team.  And they have been saying this for quite some time.  

 

Sure, he performed at an unquestionably brilliant level for the u19 team, the 'A' team, and the academy.   No doubt about it.  And that does support his case - to an extent.  

 

Dravid has personally, directly worked with almost 100% of the young players who will be in contention for slots in the test XI over the next few years.  He has established a working relationship and can build on that easily, and will enjoy a high degree of trust from players, given his reputation and consistent resume to be fair and impartial.  This is not a small thing for any Indian coach to enjoy, and has not been earned easily. 

 

Nor can one dispute his credentials and experience as an international player.  All of that being said, the job that he has just started with, is a different animal.  The Indian team is unlike any other cricket  team on the circuit.  This is a team, that is almost always, going to have 15+ test calibre players to pick from, for any given test match, in any given situation.   This is not a team filled with raw and inexperienced kids.  This is, quite literally, a team of all-stars - the best of best, cherry-picked from the top performers in the forty-seven teams of Indian First-Class Cricket.  The primary contribution that the coach of the national team is going to have to make, is going to be strategic.  What Dravid needs to bring to the table, is assist the captain - whoever that might be, in bringing this team up to speed with modern day cricket tactics - especially in the white ball arena.  This is where the Indian team has demonstrated consistent conservatism of approach - across the board, but especially with the bat.  

 

Some of us have been murmuring, elbowing, and then shouting with frustration - for multiple years now - about how the Indian team think tank has been preventing its talented players from delivering their best performances - especially when it comes to team performances as a whole.  For far too long - first under the much-hyped 'dhoniconda' template, the Indian white ball team chose to satisfy itself with aiming at "par" or 'close to par' totals.  'Take the big wobble and the indefensible low score off the table; even if it means giving up the possibility of achieving a par+50 score' - so went the Dhoni school of white-ball captaincy.  His preferred method of playing the odds, "taking it deep" with ball or bat, meant that India were perpetually happy with totals in the low 300s even when possessing players in their XI and squad who could potentially rip apart oppositions and set India on the path to consistent 350+ scores.  I still remember feeling hopeful when Virat took over as captain - surely this bloke - the modern day ODI run machine who possesses a preternatural instinct for ODI run-scoring, is going to move India beyond the 2011 batting template?  Especially taking into account the fact that the middle 30 over powerplay meant that the "old" math of 300 is a 'good' score was no longer true? But as we all saw, this was never going to be the case.  

 

Today I have to sit by and watch as England are crowned ODI champions, and they comfortably and consistently outperform India with the bat in white ball cricket - in spite of India having arguably (and for me unambiguously) much better batting skill and talent in their XI, their squad, and beyond.  And this is directly attributable to one thing and one thing alone - a refusal to adjust the team batting unit's mindset and methodology when it comes to ODI batting.  A refusal to demand more selflessness from the "top order", a refusal to ask the openers and #3 bat to stop chasing 'consistency' and individual landmarks in the guise of 'setting platforms', and bat to a team plan instead of an individual one.  

 

Now many on this forum know quite well that this batting methodology issue has been a pet peeve of mine, since 2015 - and yes, I am indeed harping on this a bit too much right now.  But this digression albeit a bit indulgent, is one that can support my ultimate point.  Which is to table a serious concern regarding what Rahul Dravid will or will not be able to bring to the table as Head Coach of Team India.  Can Dravid identify the strategic and tactical changes - major and minor - that this team needs to make, in order to take that next step and become the world-beating juggernaut it is capable of being?  

 

I do not doubt his willingness to do so.  But I wish I could be more confident on the question of whether he is capable or not.  

 

Take for example - the redemption and re-birth of Rohit Sharma the test batsman.  Love him or hate him, Ravi Shastri had the brains, to recognize the fact that Rohit still offered India the possibility of contributions at a 'great' level to the test team.  And he had the balls, to push forward and convert him into a test cricket opener, when he had never EVER, opened the batting at even a FC level.  This was a gutsy call, that flew in the face of conventional wisdom.  And as is always the case in Indian cricket - there were strong, logical, persuasive arguments to be made in favor of other players who 'deserved' the opportunity instead of Rohit, or offered better promise.  But Ravi 'gotey muh mein' Shastri made the big call, and stuck by it.  And look how it turned out.  Oh there were so many angry fans and words - as there always are with Indian cricket.  But now all of that has faded to black, and you will find even those who are on the record as Shastri haters, and Rohit Sharma disbelievers, begrudgingly accept Rohit as a critical, foundational member of the test XI.  

 

Rahul Dravid has made many a 'gutsy' call in his days.  As captain, he famously declared the Indian innings leaving Tendulkar at 194*.  I was watching that game live - and can recall all the drama and hype that went on and on; and on - about  that decision.  So its not that Dravid lacks the courage to make the tough call.  The question is, does he have the judgement? 

 

This is the captain, remember, that openly collaborated with 'Guru Greg' - a guy who was viciously selfish, made multiple moves and decisions that were distinctly and unambiguously, to the detriment of Indian Cricket.  Why?  Because Dravid has always been the guy that does the 'right' thing.  The 'textbook' thing.  The conventional thing. Does he now have what it takes to defy conservatism? To not advocate the 'textbook' solution?

 

And 8 times out of 10, there's not much terribly wrong with following the 'conventional wisdom'.  Its percentage cricket you see, playing the probabilities.  But there are many a times, when champion teams step up and differentiate themselves from the rest of the pack, by zigging instead of zagging.  And when push comes to shove, I don't know if Dravid is capable of that.  What is Dravid's record as coach in the IPL?  I'm not even going to bring up his time as a player in the IPL, and the 'test-class' Bangalore IPL squad that was put together around him in the inaugural IPL season.  

 

I do not have confidence that 'nice guy' Dravid - who was oh so good at mentoring and guiding all those young kids and prospects - whether its at the u19 team, the 'A' tours, or the academy - where the brief is exactly that - to be nice.  To be 'fair'.  To help everyone become the best version of themselves - whether that 'nice guy' Dravid can be ruthless enough to make that tough call.  To be "unfair" to a hardworking player who may be doing arguably well enough to hold their place in the team, in favor of that maverick who has not proven himself yet - but could be just the player that helps the India team take that next step to greatness.  

 

Take his debut game as Coach of Team India for instance.  India were playing at home, in a meaningless bilateral.  India played an XI with both Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Deepak Chahar in it.  Avesh Khan -  the man in form, the bowler who impressed all and sundry this IPL as a genuine wicket-taking threat in multiple phases of the game, sat there on the bench wearing his yellow substitute apron.  Now one can argue that Deepak Chahar has done nothing 'wrong' to be benched - he has earned his right to be in  this game, a game being played in his 'home' state.  And hey, nothing wrong with that per se, its the nice thing to do - give a young player an opportunity to play an India game at his 'home' stadium.  But is that what's best for Team India?  

 

So tl;dr this long rant filled with random tangents and written as a stream of consciousness in about 10 minutes or so, boils down to this - The Indian national team is not filled with players that need hand-holding or mentoring.  Its a team that's stuck in the quick-sand of conservatism, and is in need of a tactical re-boot.  It is crying out for a strong leader, one that sets the tone on unselfish, team first, no-nonsense aggressive cricket.  A team that is expected to be continually blessed with a steady stream of prospects, but one that needs a Master and Commander that can direct that gush of talent, and extract collective greatness from them.  Be laser-focused on the goal of team greatness, and capable of ruthless decision making when the situation calls for it.  Can Dravid be that guy?  

 

 

 

I think what you are missing is that India has been top heavy in ODI batting compared to England with whom you make the comparison. 
 

England have Morgan, Butler, Stokes - in the middle order - they can up the ante consistently and reliably even when the Eng top order collapses in trying to play aggressively. Woakes, Adil Rashid, Liam Plunkett can all throw the bat.  So going all guns blazing regardless of the fall of wickets works/ worked for them. 
 

We too had Raina, Dhoni, Yuvi in the middle order do something similar when we won the WC in 2011.

 

We don’t have such consistent reliable gun players now- which is why the top order has to play a bit “selfishly”

[vvvslaxman]

India probably has the highest unfinished products in our domestic. Many are close to break out performance. With so many matches being played there is opportunity for everyone. But for some reason they are in a suppressed state due to senior culture within the team. Today there was an opportunity to bring on V Iyer when D Chahar was struggling. But we stuck to our plan. Tomorrow some other bowler might struggle. This is why you have 6th bowler for. V Iyer would have also felt that he belongs to this level.  It is important for the team management to make everyone feel secure. Shreyas Iyer can bowl a part time leg spin. For some reason i never seem him being encouraged to bowl in these useless matches.  He has to ensure players take more responsibilities. After all he was one of the most abuse cricketer even when he was at his peak. Had to keep wickets, sometimes open the innings.  Some time had to bat low down the order. He accepted the responsibility. I expect players under him take ownership and run with it.  Too many promising talents are at the disposal. Can't play everyone. Identify the deserved ones and polish them. Instead of rotating between unfinished products.

[cricketfan28]

Dravid should encourage youngsters ..including piuara and chestheswara in test is not giving good vibes.

[sandeep]

1 hour ago, rangeelaraja said:

I think what you are missing is that India has been top heavy in ODI batting compared to England with whom you make the comparison. 
 

England have Morgan, Butler, Stokes - in the middle order - they can up the ante consistently and reliably

 

Uh, no.  Its the fact that Roy and Bairstow do not bat conservatively and selfishly at the top of the order, and provide a team run-rate of 7+ by the 15th, that sets up the rest of the batting unit for success.  Indian batting template allows for top 3 to "set the platform" and provides top 3 with the luxury of batting at below run-a-ball, only to ask the likes of Kedar Jadhav and Pandya to magically boost the score past 320 at the end.  If Indian middle order batsmen such as Surya, Pandya, or any of the others, were given the benefit of an attacking selfless top order, they are every bit as capable as the likes of Morgan and Stokes.  That's my point.  

 

This myth of "top order" for India has to bat safely because middle order " is a sucks" is a fabricated one.

[sandeep]

1 hour ago, vvvslaxman said:

India probably has the highest unfinished products in our domestic. Many are close to break out performance. With so many matches being played there is opportunity for everyone. But for some reason they are in a suppressed state due to senior culture within the team. Today there was an opportunity to bring on V Iyer when D Chahar was struggling. But we stuck to our plan. Tomorrow some other bowler might struggle. This is why you have 6th bowler for. V Iyer would have also felt that he belongs to this level.  It is important for the team management to make everyone feel secure. Shreyas Iyer can bowl a part time leg spin. For some reason i never seem him being encouraged to bowl in these useless matches.  He has to ensure players take more responsibilities. After all he was one of the most abuse cricketer even when he was at his peak. Had to keep wickets, sometimes open the innings.  Some time had to bat low down the order. He accepted the responsibility. I expect players under him take ownership and run with it.  Too many promising talents are at the disposal. Can't play everyone. Identify the deserved ones and polish them. Instead of rotating between unfinished products.

That dovetails with my point.  Does Dravid have it in him to make tough calls - ones that draw flak from those around him?  

 

Its way to early to judge him - and even if we are disappointed with some of the decisions in this T20, its still early.  We need to see him make decisions over the course of a couple of series, to understand his mindset and his method.  My primary point when I started writing this, was to raise a question, and point out that even though everybody is "happy" with Dravid becoming Head coach, his 'success' or at least the way we expect or define it - is not a sure thing.  And I'm not convinced (I'm hopeful though) that from a tactical, strategic, and selection point of view, Dravid has what it takes to deliver.   Let's hope he does.

[rangeelaraja]

8 minutes ago, sandeep said:

 

Uh, no.  Its the fact that Roy and Bairstow do not bat conservatively and selfishly at the top of the order, and provide a team run-rate of 7+ by the 15th, that sets up the rest of the batting unit for success.  Indian batting template allows for top 3 to "set the platform" and provides top 3 with the luxury of batting at below run-a-ball, only to ask the likes of Kedar Jadhav and Pandya to magically boost the score past 320 at the end.  If Indian middle order batsmen such as Surya, Pandya, or any of the others, were given the benefit of an attacking selfless top order, they are every bit as capable as the likes of Morgan and Stokes.  That's my point.  

 

This myth of "top order" for India has to bat safely because middle order " is a sucks" is a fabricated one.

when did the middle order in this current lot rescue us / take us over the line in a game that had reasonable stakes when the top order ( top 3)  collectively  collapsed  ? 
 

Is the current middle/lower order comparable to Dhoni + Yuvi + Raina of 2010/11 ? 

[Adamant]

I don't remember an ODI match where the low strike rates of Dhawan, Rohit and Kohli lost us the match, especially if we talk about big matches. 

[Serpico]

1 hour ago, Adamant said:

I don't remember an ODI match where the low strike rates of Dhawan, Rohit and Kohli lost us the match, especially if we talk about big matches. 

The wc group stage match against England in2019? They were chasing close to 350 and rahul, rohit and kohli played at less than 100 SR. Ofcourse dhoni and jafhav decided to stop chasing anyway in the end, so can't single out top order

[Adamant]

36 minutes ago, Serpico said:

The wc group stage match against England in2019? They were chasing close to 350 and rahul, rohit and kohli played at less than 100 SR. Ofcourse dhoni and jafhav decided to stop chasing anyway in the end, so can't single out top order

I am talking about the trio of Dhawan, Kohli and Sharma, please don't include KL Rahul, the guy is an absolute bottler at any stage. 

He got out for 0(9) balls, and it's quite obvious that if Kohli or Rohit didn't score at 90 str rate there was no way we could have chased 337.

Also I don't really think that 146-2 after 28 overs is anywhere near awful.  Our middle order was just too weak. 

[R!TTER]

5 hours ago, diga said:

Immediate goal would be to win our first series in South Africa and 1 ICC trophy during his tenure

2 - I expect India to feature in another WTC final, we then have the next WT20 & home WC to choose from! Ideally the next WTC final should be held in SL or Bangla, it is after all neutral for India 

[express bowling]

Dravid needs to be given time to put in place his own system. Can't judge him too fast.

 

But he did stick with 2 of the biggest issues we have had in white ball cricket in the last few years.

 

1. 2 Medium pacer cum 1 quick bowler combo (  i.e too many medium pacers )

2. Batting was too top heavy as usual. Newbie opener was made to bat at 6 and Iyer batted at 5 although he can't slog quick bowling. 

 

Maybe he will change these as he gets settled in his job.

 

[Lord]

Good OP but I think we are overestimating the power/authority he or any coach has

 

Dravid can make suggestions but squad will be selected by selectors, and XI by captain.

 

His job is to inculcate fearless approach in whoever plays.Shastri was good in that in Tests.

[prudent_kreeda]

Performance wise nothing earth shattering will happen .

Most probably we may do slightly better in Tests provided our pacers retain their effectiveness and fit.

 

Do not think there could be total transformation in short format . In fact we needed someone else as a batting consultant for short format in place of Vikram Rathore .

 

Where we will see improvements due to him could be - 

1. No buddy schemes - Do not think Captain can dictate and include his buddies in team selections.

2. Better judgement in identifying  good talents .

3. Better nurturing of such selected youngsters .

4. Improvement in mental aspects of playing as per match situations , helping players to understand that trying to hit as hard as possible without control is not the best option, but more focus on controlled hitting and finding boundaries and 1-2s  is equally fruitful to win matches .

 

 

 

 

[BacktoCricaddict]

6 hours ago, Lord said:

Good OP but I think we are overestimating the power/authority he or any coach has

 

Dravid can make suggestions but squad will be selected by selectors, and XI by captain.

 

His job is to inculcate fearless approach in whoever plays.Shastri was good in that in Tests.

True.  This is the traditional captain-coach dynamic in international cricket.  This can change, of course, but it will have to be driven by a captain-coach pair that is willing to try a different, more collaborative power-structure.  If that template then leads to success, everyone else will copy it and it will become the norm. The question is - which Indian captain will cede some power to Dravid?  We know that Kohli won't be the one to do it.  But if Dravid weathers the rest of VK's tenure and a new captain emerges (Pant? Gill?), we may see some shifting.

[BacktoCricaddict]

12 hours ago, sandeep said:

That dovetails with my point.  Does Dravid have it in him to make tough calls - ones that draw flak from those around him?  

 

Its way to early to judge him - and even if we are disappointed with some of the decisions in this T20, its still early.  We need to see him make decisions over the course of a couple of series, to understand his mindset and his method.  My primary point when I started writing this, was to raise a question, and point out that even though everybody is "happy" with Dravid becoming Head coach, his 'success' or at least the way we expect or define it - is not a sure thing.  And I'm not convinced (I'm hopeful though) that from a tactical, strategic, and selection point of view, Dravid has what it takes to deliver.   Let's hope he does.

Some people are great teachers or mentors, but may not be great executers.  Dravid strikes me as such a person.  Like the OP alluded, U19 and India A players are likely to be compliant "Yessir" types, but that will not be the case at the highest level.  Imagine this - he tells someone like Jadeja to up the scoring rate and Jadeja points to 12(96) - what will he do?  The way the power-structure is set up today, a coach will have to have a thick skin to take pushback, and learn to walk thin lines while managing big egos.  Let's see if Dravid is capable of doing it.  

Edited November 18, 2021 by BacktoCricaddict

[Lord]

4 minutes ago, BacktoCricaddict said:

Some people are great teachers or mentors, but may not be great executers.  Dravid strikes me as such a person.  Like the OP alluded, U19 and India A players are likely to be compliant "Yessir" types, but that will not be the case at the highest level.  Imagine this - he tells someone like Jadeja to up the scoring rate and Jadeja points to 12(96) - what will he do?  The way the power-structure is set up today, a coach will have to have a thick skin to take pushback, and learn to walk thin lines while managing big egos.  Let's see if Dravid is capable of doing it.  

 

I don't think Dravid will have problems earning respect even among this team so that scenario is unlikely to be played out. We are not Pakistan.

 

However Dravid is a nice guy  and such people want to be liked and want to avoid conflicts. So he'll just go along with what captain etc say on most occasions.

 

We are also unlikely to shed conservative approach under him.

 

 

[sandeep]

21 minutes ago, Lord said:

 

I don't think Dravid will have problems earning respect even among this team so that scenario is unlikely to be played out. We are not Pakistan.

 

However Dravid is a nice guy  and such people want to be liked and want to avoid conflicts. So he'll just go along with what captain etc say on most occasions.

 

We are also unlikely to shed conservative approach under him.

 

 

 

And that's my concern.  Dravid carries enough weight to command respect.  Question does he have that fight of the dog in him to be bloody minded and make some ruthless calls? And then the stubbornness to follow through on it in the face of some resistance?   Both of those, remain to be seen.

[Lord]

2 minutes ago, sandeep said:

 

And that's my concern.  Dravid carries enough weight to command respect.  Question does he have that fight of the dog in him to be bloody minded and make some ruthless calls? And then the stubbornness to follow through on it in the face of some resistance?   Both of those, remain to be seen.

 

I think that should be the expectation from the captain more the coach as he'll have more power in selection matters.

 

Dravid's main job is bring out the best in the players given to him.Ofcourse he can make suggestions and report if someone is not improving etc. but he won't have the final call.