'Lowest Point in My Coaching...': Ex-IND Head Coach Rahul Dravid Reveals His Biggest Heart-Ache

This year, Rahul Dravid made history by leading India into the T20 World Cup. Nevertheless, Gautam Gambhir eventually took his place as head coach, marking his final tournament in that role. David discusses the most devastating experience he had while serving as head coach, and it's not the ODI World Cup loss to Australia in 2023.

Also Read: 'I, with my age, am not the best captain': IOC president to leave office 

Rahul Dravid reveals his biggest heartache as the head coach of the Indian cricket team

Reflecting on the 2-1 Test series loss in South Africa during the 2021-22 trip, former India head coach Rahul Dravid has said that this was the most difficult event of his time serving the national team. The cricket ace said India lost a once-goldful chance to win their first-ever Test series on South African ground.

Starting the adventure with a good effort, India won the opening Test in Centurion 113-run. But the momentum changed when they lost by seven wickets in both Johannesburg and Cape Town, therefore passing the series to South Africa.

Dravid underlined in an ESPNcricinfo video the most frustrating moment of his coaching tenure with Team India. Rahul Dravid said: 

“If you ask me what is the lowest point, I would say the South Africa Test series early on in my career. We won the first Test match in South Africa in Centurion, and then we were playing in the second and third Test match. We have never won a series in South Africa, as you know," 

"It was a really big opportunity for us to win that series. Some of our senior players were not there. Rohit Sharma was injured, and we didn’t have some senior players in that series. But we were very close, and in both the Test matches—the second and the third test matches—in the third inning, we had a big opportunity. We could have set a decent score and won the game, but South Africa played well.

“So, I would say that was probably my lowest point in my coaching of not being able to win that series in spite of being ahead,”

Rahul Dravid's tenure helped India reach the World Test Championship final and ODI World Cup final last year, which they both lost to Australia. However, Dravid had his fairytale ending as he ended India's 11-year ICC trophy drought when India lifted the T20 World Cup, beating South Africa in a thriller this year.