Rahul Dravid, India’s head coach, has been chiseled out to be a calm and composed person. But that was before the final of the T20 World Cup when he did something spectacular. Dravid took two slides, and the message was very simple but powerful. That decision was central to India’s nail-biting seven-run defeat of South Africa as it clinched its first world title in 13 years.
Rahul Dravid’s Inside Two-Slide Strategy
Suryakumar Yadav was among the standout performers, and he revealed what Dravid had to say. One of the slides was a chart on the number of T20I matches played by Indian team members. The stats for captain Rohit Sharma, star player Virat Kohli, and even the youngest member, Yashasvi Jaiswal were included. It illustrated the huge amount of experience and capability in that team.
The other slide focused on the collective T20I experience of Dravid, batting coach Vikram Rathour, bowling coach Paras Mhambrey, and fielding coach T Dilip. Notably, Dravid was the only one among them to have played T20Is at the international level. He retired as a white-ball cricketer after the game against England. This glaring disparity highlighted the fact that while most of the coaches were T20I novices, their players largely belonged to another stratosphere.
The response from Dravid to his team was transparent and empowering. He would say to the players in this regard,
You are your best judge here; you will know when is the right decision at that particular point. Rest, you go and munch cricket.
His faith in players’ talent and collective wisdom on the floor was conveyed through that simple but powerful message.
Rahul Dravid Message: The Future of Team India
They were the only side to win all matches in this year’s tournament. In the last phase of Dravid’s captaincy, India made it through to the final in three ICC events within 13 months, winning 19 matches and losing only one in their World Cup record under him. This only highlighted the overall team consistency through the different rounds and strategic masterclasses.
The team’s mantra was simple: live in the moment and not care about what happens down the road. Suryakumar revealed that the team had planned early not to talk about “what lay ahead” before the start of the tournament. They were tied in only to that one game, whether it be a Super 8 or the final at Barbados. It enabled them to remain focused and, therefore, perform their best.
With Dravid not willing to extend his contract, BCCI is in search of the next head coach. The leading contenders for the role are two former India openers, Gautam Gambhir and WV Raman. India faces a bright future, and the new coach will take over from where Dravid left off.
Two slides from this presentation by Rahul Dravid before the T20 World Cup final were a masterclass. It was a reminder to the players of their big game experience and capabilities, which would have enabled them confidence but, more importantly, focus. This common hold did wonders for India’s win, and Dravid showed his remarkable leading skills. The lessons from this World Cup campaign will certainly pave the way for the future success of both teams in the near and distant future.
Also Read: Disclosing Pakistan’s T20I Excellent Squad for Ireland and England on Thursday
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