Zaheer Khan: Whoever becomes the coach needs to be constant and should maintain continuity for a while
Head coach of the Indian cricket team Rahul Dravid also finished his first tenure with the side; there had been a lot of discussion over who would take over the squad and it has been confirmed that Rahul Dravid, the head coach of the Indian cricket team, has been awarded an extension.
The Indian cricket squad is, in a sense, at a crossroads. The T20 World Cup 2024 is the Indian cricket team’s next major task following their runners-up result at the ODI Cricket World Cup 2023.
The question of whether Indian cricket should introduce new players to the white-ball formats is becoming more and more popular. Head coach of the Indian cricket team Rahul Dravid also finished his first tenure with the side.
There had been a lot of discussion over who would take over the squad and it has been confirmed that Rahul Dravid, the head coach of the Indian cricket team, has been awarded an extension.
Legendary pacer for the Indian cricket team Zaheer Khan was recently asked an interesting question regarding Rahul Dravid’s appointment.
“Dravid has been handed a coaching extension? Do you think it’s the right call and will it be easy for the coach to instill belief to bounce back in 6 months for an ICC trophy?”
Zaheer Khan was asked by a user.
The pace of the great reply was interesting.
“Just a general view on this scenario. We’ve been talking about so many captains, so many vice-captains. All the things which are happening around. With so much of cricket also happening, you need that continuity factor, which is going to be very, very important. You need that stability and how you are going to achieve that stability when you have so many moving parts is having something constant,”
Zaheer Khan said on Cricbuzz.
“Whoever becomes the coach needs to be constant and should maintain that continuity for a while, so that all the processes are followed and communicated in that regard. You form a nice setup with regards to the higher management in BCCI, to the selectors, to the NCA, to the Indian team, and captains across formats,”
Zaheer Khan, a member of India’s World Cup winning team, added.
“With so much happening, it does not matter, who that individual is, but that individual needs to have that full responsibility of all the formats and planning around it. Getting everybody on the same page so that the system is robust as we are moving ahead. Usually, that continuity is maintained in Indian cricket through one captain being there for all the formats. But the demand now is such that certain players need to be ready for certain tournaments but that continuity needs to be there through the coach.”
How long Rahul Dravid will be coaching the Indian cricket team in his second phase is yet unknown. The BCCI secretary, Jay Shah, has now provided a significant update regarding the expected time for issue resolution.
“Length of Rahul Dravid’s tenure as India head coach to be decided after the team returns from South Africa,”
BCCI secretary Jay Shah was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
“We have given the extension but we are yet to finalize the contract. We did not get time at all; they finished (with the World Cup). I had a meeting with them (Dravid & Co.) and we agreed mutually that they would continue. We will sit down and decide once they return from South Africa,”
the secretary said.
As the head coach of the Indian cricket team, Rahul Dravid has had many highs. During his tenure, the Indian cricket team under Rohit Sharma has advanced to the World Test Championship and ODI Cricket World Cup finals.
The BCCI recently extended his term as head coach of the Indian cricket team. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) officially declared in the last week of November that Team India’s senior men’s support staff and head coach Rahul Dravid’s contracts have been extended.
“The BCCI engaged in productive discussions with Rahul Dravid after the term of his contract ended following the recently concluded ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 and unanimously agreed to further the tenure,”
BCCI said in an official statement.
The first T20 International in Team India’s current all-format tour against South Africa washed out on Sunday in Durban due to rain.
The second T20 International (T20I) will be held at Gqeberha on Tuesday, where the young Indian players, led by star batsman Suryakumar Yadav, will be looking for a flawless performance.
Following the T20Is and the three-match ODI series, both teams will play two Test matches, with pacer Jasprit Bumrah, captain Rohit Sharma, and captain Virat Kohli joining the team.
As preparations for the series get underway, legendary Proteas all-rounder Jacques Kallis has said that India’s success in the Tests will depend heavily on Virat Kohli’s form and familiarity with the conditions in South Africa.
“I am sure he will want to have a big series here in South Africa. He has been in good form. He will play a major role in helping India. If they are to win here, he will have to have a good series,”
Kallis told Star Sports.
“He’s a massive player, no matter where it is. Having played here quite a bit and had a fair amount of success,”
Kallis said.
“He’ll be able to pass that knowledge on to the other guys, especially the younger guys, and give them ideas on how to manage these conditions and then what to expect.”
Kohli, 35, scored two of his 29 Test centuries against the Proteas away from home.
During the last World Test Championship cycle, India lost 1-2 to South Africa.
“This is a good Indian team but South Africa is tough to beat in South Africa,”
Kallis said.
“Centurion will probably suit South Africa and Newlands will probably suit India. It will be a good series and it will come down to one or two sessions that one team might play better than the other. It would be a closely-fought contest.”