Former England cricketer Michael Vaughan has praised India head coach Rahul Dravid for his excellent efforts for the team. He said the former India captain has given his best for India and has put the team in a good shape for Gautam Gambhir to take up the role.
Rahul Dravid’s tenure as head coach has come to an end after the Indian national cricket team won the 2024 T20 World Cup. The former India captain left the team on a high note, having led India to end an 11-year title drought and win the 2013 Champions Trophy.
Rahul Dravid was brought in as India coach after the 2022 T20 World Cup. He took charge of the team at a time when the team was struggling and there were other external factors as well, including Virat Kohli’s captaincy saga, which potentially hit the team hard at that time.
Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma brought everyone together and changed the way the team played cricket. They brought fearlessness, made the players understand their roles and gave clarity and confidence to the individuals.
They have had their share of heartbreaks, but they have also finished on a high note. Under Dravid, India have lost the semifinals of the T20 World Cup 2022, the final of the ICC World Test Championship 2023 and the final of the ICC World Cup 2023 at home.
Rahul Dravid has been extended as head coach till T20 World Cup 2024 and he made sure to shine in the last dance. With his amazing coaching, India lifted T20 World Cup 2024 and finally got their hands on the World Cup trophy.
Michael Bourne, speaking about his career as Rahul Dravid’s coach, claimed that he knew he was going to be special when the former India captain was appointed head coach. He pointed out how consistent the team was under Dravid. He explained to Cricbuzz:
“Again, a bit like Rohit, he is one of the greats of the game. He is an honest, hard-working guy. As soon as he got the job in India, the whole world knew it was going to be a problem. I really knew it. It was surprising that they didn’t get over the line in the World Test Championship and the World Cup in November. But what he brought was enormous. He was a consistent player.
“He delivered every single day. And it’s no surprise that India have been very, very consistent during his tenure as coach because he demanded that the process be right. You always hear about process in sport, but it’s actually that simple. If you deliver the process every single day, the performances take care of themselves. And I think India have been very consistent during Rahul’s tenure as coach. They have had very rare bad, bad weeks. They may have lost, but it’s because the opposition played really good cricket.”
I have never seen an Indian team break down and give up – Michael Vaughan on Rahul Dravid’s tenure as head coach
Michael Bourne says India did not give up during Rahul Dravid’s tenure as head coach and stressed that when Gautam Gambhir takes over, he will be happy rather than under pressure to win trophies because he will have a very talented team. He elaborated:
“I have never seen an Indian team break down, crumble and give up. Again, Rahul Dravid was at his best. He will never give up. He will never give up. He threw in the towel as a player, as a batsman, as a captain. Everything was dedicated to giving his best for India and he did exactly the same as the India coach. I expect Gautam Gambhir to take over from Rahul Dravid. Some people will say, oh, the pressure is on Gautam now. Because we won the World Cup. I don’t know. I think we’ll be really happy.
“If you are interested in coaching, if there is a team you would like to coach, I would say it would be the Indian team because they have so much talent. Because there are so many trophies to compete for in the next few years and Gautam will know that he is going to get a great squad with all the talent. All the skill sets, the right mix of experience and youth, and the ability of a bunch of young players to keep those senior players on their toes. Rahul Dravid has left Indian cricket in great shape and that’s all you can ask for. When you get the job, can you leave it in a better position when you leave? He certainly has,” he concluded.
