'Don't like to chop & change too many things': Rahul Dravid on the MAJOR factor affected his tenure

Team India's jam-packed celebration plan concluded with a lap of honour around Wankhede Stium boundaries. All of players were happy and thoroughly immersed in grandeur of event held for m to bring home T20 World Cup 2024. This came after Rahul Dravid managed and Rohit Sharma led Indian cricket team to win ICC T20 World Cup 2024, beating South Africa in finals on June 29, 2024. captain ended India’s 11 years of ICC trophy drought. Fans were crazy when Indian team did a bus pare at Marine Drive.

Rahul Dravid me a huge statement on his departure from Indian cricket team

Following Rahul Dravid's departure from Team India, former coach expressed his dislike for frequent changes in team lineup during his tenure. He aimed to support captain Rohit Sharma in developing winning strategies. Dravid recently concluded his coaching role as Team India clinched T20 World Cup in Barbos, securing ir second title since 2007 by defeating South Africa.

"I'm someone who actually likes continuity and don't like to chop and change too many things because I believe that creates a lot of instability and doesn't create very good environment," said Dravid in a video posted by BCCI on Saturday.

"I feel that I am a part of team whose responsibility is to create right professional, safe, secure environment that doesn't really have a fear of failure as such but is challenging enough to push people. That has always been my endeavour." 

Dravid said that period when players were coming out of COVID-19 pandemic was a tough one for him as he h just taken over as coach and "never envisaged" that he would have to work with half a dozen captains.

"One of things that we really h to manage, especially in early part of my coaching tenure here with India. We were at back-end of Covid restrictions. "We really h to manage ir worklos through all three different formats. re were a few injuries and it led to me working with something like 5-6 captains in first 8-10 months of me being here.

“It was definitely something that I hn't envisaged, or not something that I thought about, but it just sort of organically happened.”

 Under Dravid's tutelage, India thrashed England in five-match Test series at home and team also reached 2023 ODI World Cup final.

While Covid put a lot of restrictions on players and y virtually lived out of a 'bubble case' at all times, pandemic also h its up side as a lot of youngsters got a chance to be a part of India team environment.

" or thing that happened, which was very nice to see is, because we played so much of cricket after Covid and we h to cram in a lot of series, it meant that we h to almost, at times, have two teams playing at same time in different parts of world.

"Over last 2-1/2 years, especially in white-ball cricket and lately towards back-end (of my career) even in red-ball cricket, we were able to give a lot of youngsters a lot of opportunities, bring a lot of people into side." "Some of m developed and stayed on in side a little bit longer, but some of m, y were re because at that point of time maybe some of seniors were resting." Dravid's relationship with Indian stalwarts like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli dates back to time when he was at fag end of his cricketing career while two were finding ir feet in international cricket.

"I've really enjoyed working with Rohit, someone I knew as a young boy. Just to see him grow as a person and grow as a leer in Indian cricket, what someone like him has been able to contribute to team over last 10-12 years, both as a player and now as a leer, has been a real tribute to him and effort that he's put in.

"I've really enjoyed getting to him know as a person as well and enjoyed seeing his commitment and his care for team; to just try and get environment right where everyone feels safe and secure and enjoys mselves. It's something that I'll miss.

"Even with someone like Virat. In initial days, just a couple of series with him as a captain, just a couple of matches. Getting to know him as well and to see how he goes about his business, professionalism that he continues to display...his desired to improve, to get better. It's been fascinating for me to watch." Dravid said he always believed in process because of which, at times, he was misunderstood as not being result-oriented.

"For me that's (results), of course it's important. I keep saying and people think, 'Oh, I think result are not important'. Of course, results are important.

"I'm in business to produce results. But it's always like, as a coach, to think about what is it that I can control to help results and at end of day our responsibility should be to try and help captain deliver his vision and his philosophy of how he wants team to play." "Of course, to win cricket games is a given. You try to win as much as you can. You start with that. But I always look back on what is it that les to winning? How do you win more games and what is process required to win more games? "For me, vision was to try and get that process right. Ticking all of those boxes. 'Are we challenging players enough? Are we practicing well enough? are we prepared tactically, technically? Are we supporting players as best as we possibly can, Are we creating right environment? “se are things I think that are important to tick before you get to winning. winning, hopefully, if you do a lot of se things, most of time winning will take care of itself.”

(With PTI inputs)