Rahul Dravid ended his India head coach tenure with the 2024 T20 World Cup win.
Former India spinner R Ashwin talked about the importance of stability as India plans for the 2027 ICC World Cup. He also talked about his preference for the former India head coach Rahul Dravid. There appears to be instability surrounding the side, even though permutations and combinations will vary in the run-up to the big event.
Ashwin pointed out the level of planning Rahul Dravid did for the 2023 World Cup. He also highlighted how he backed Shubman Gill as opener, Hardik Pandya was used very well, and KL Rahul became one of the best Test batters.
“Everyone can criticize. But can someone say that Dravid did something without planning, or that someone was dropped out of nowhere without being given a long rope, or that he didn't provide stability? The way he backed Hardik Pandya and used him was remarkable. It was very unfortunate that he got injured in the 2023 World Cup. He backed Shubman Gill as an opening batter. He backed KL Rahul. During Rahul's stint, KL Rahul became one of the best Test batters India had. He gave a long rope to Shardul Thakur at number eight in overseas games. He gave a place to Kuldeep Yadav as the third spinner for India," Ashwin stated on his YouTube channel.
He further stated that players who played under Rahul Dravid’s guidance would vouch that they never felt insecure and unstable in the team about their spot.
"Players never felt a lack of stability. You can't fault that. I worked closely with him. People can criticize, but they criticize the best in the business too. Tell me one thing: is there anyone who hasn't been criticized? Everything attracts criticism. Leave social media criticism aside. That is not the point. Ask any of the players from Rahul bhai's stint how he was as a coach. Then tell me. Players will tell you. Everybody will. Is there anyone who does everything well?" he added.
Ashwin also stated that Rahul Dravid, whose tenure as head coach ended in 2024, must have asked about the plans for the 2027 World Cup as well. He stated that whatever plans he had made should’ve been documented, as the next coaching staff could’ve used it as guidelines.
"I have said this so many times. When there is a 2027 ODI World Cup on the horizon, once the 2023 World Cup is over, you have to plan how the team will shape up over the next four years. Which combinations to find, who the 50-over specialists are, and whom we are going to back. If the workload is high, while managing that workload, we have to preserve players for ODIs. All this planning should have happened. So, who was the coach after 2023? Rahul bhai. Rahul bhai must have asked for plans until 2027. And if not, if Rahul bhai was saying that he would be there only until 2024-25 before leaving, then his planning should have been documented," Ashwin said.
The co-ordination between Rahul Dravid and Center of Excellence (CoE) chief VVS Laxman was also praised by Ashwin.
"Exactly. The way you groom players and create options, similarly, the coaching staff also have to be groomed. Under-19 cricket is different. NCA is different. Coaching the Indian team is different. Coaching the India A team is different. There is a lot of difference between the India A coaching setup and the senior team coaching setup. Rahul used to coach here and had a lot of workload. Laxman used to travel to Zimbabwe. We would talk to them. Whether they agreed or not, that is not how it works. But at least we talked. They used to find a middle ground and work together. You don't know how Laxman works. For a Zimbabwe tour or any tour he goes on, he starts preparing 20 days in advance, as if he is going to play himself," Ashwin stated.