'Every time we pick a Playing XI, we disappoint': Rahul Dravid makes big admission

Rahul Dravid is one of the best cricketers that the Indian Cricket Team has ever produced. Making his debut for India in 1996, the player went on to be one of the greatest in history. However, his coaching stint for the Indian Cricket Team has not been as good as it was as a player. 

3 things you need to know

• India will face West Indies in a bilateral series starting July 12, 2023
• India plays in the Asia Cup after the IND vs WI
• India has failed to win an ICC trophy since 2013

Rahul Dravid makes a huge statement about his experience as a coach

(Rahul Dravid with Hardik Pandya, Image-BCCI)

For the past 20 months, Rahul Dravid has led the Indian men's cricket team as a coach and has had both wins and failures. The failure to advance to the Asia Cup 2022 final, the defeats in South Africa and against England in the postponed 5th Test last year, the elimination from the T20 World Cup semifinals, and the loss in the World Test Championship final are a few major setbacks of his coaching tenure.  In contrast to his predecessor, Ravi Shastri, Dravid has excelled at giving players constant opportunities to succeed. However, Rahul Dravid acknowledges the disappointment it creates and confesses his struggle to make difficult decisions when choosing the playing XI or tournament teams, empathizing with those who are left out owing to space constraints.

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Every time we pick a Playing XI, we disappoint people; there are others who are not playing. Every time we pick a 15 for a tournament, there are a lot of guys who feel they should be there. And you feel bad for them on an emotional level. But at least we all try. I don't say I am perfect at it. I'm not saying that I get it right all the time, because it does affect you. That's the hardest part of coaching or leading teams—having to make those tough decisions about people you truly want to succeed and do well. But you can only pick so many players, forced by the rule.

Under his direction, players like Arshdeep Singh, Shubman Gill, and Shreyas Iyer have flourished. Arshdeep has developed into a dependable death bowler, Gill has emerged as a potential player, and Iyer has shown off his abilities against spin. The arduous work of making harsh judgments is another facet of Dravid's coaching experience, which he recognizes as the hardest part of his job.

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Which big names have Rahul Dravid dropped so far?

Rahul Dravid received praise for his successful tenures as the head coach of the India A and Under-19 teams before taking the helm of Team India. The senior men's cricket squad posed a fresh challenge, despite the fact that his connection with the players was great. Dravid was forced to make difficult choices, including letting go of Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, and Ishant Sharma (last year). But David's openness and fairness in dealing with everyone kept things from getting out of hand. In his interactions with athletes, he adheres to the guiding concept of honesty, free from any political goal or bias. Dravid places a high value on maintaining honesty in communication.