When Rahul Dravid was appointed Indian men's cricket team head coach after Ravi Shastri’s tenure came to an end in November 2021, there were a lot of expectations from him.
However, Dravid has had more misses than hits in his 20 months stint so far. With him at the helm of affairs, India failed to qualify for the Asia Cup 2022 final, lost the Test series in South Africa, lost to England in the rescheduled fifth Test, bowed out in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2022 and suffered a defeat in the WTC final last month.
The team might not have achieved the desired results, but one thing Dravid has done brilliantly is giving players a long rope. The likes of Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer and Arshdeep Singh have been given ample opportunities to prove their worth and they have repaid the faith in different formats.
The job of a coach also includes taking tough calls and Dravid feels it is the 'hardest part' about being a coach.
"You care for each of those people whom you coach, on a personal level as well and you're trying to build personal connections. You want to coach them as people and not so much as cricket players. And when you do that, you want all of them to succeed. But at the same time, you've got to be realistic and realise that not all of them are going to succeed. At times you've got to make those tough and difficult decisions," Dravid said during the episode of 'Cred Curious'.
"Every time we pick a Playing XI, we disappoint people; there are others who are not playing. Every time we pick a 15 for a tournament, there are a lot of guys who feel they should be there. And you feel bad for them at an emotional level. But at least we all try. I don't say I am perfect at it. I'm not saying that I get it right all the time because it does affect you. That's the hardest part of coaching or leading teams – having to make those tough decisions about people you truly want to succeed and do well. But you can only pick so many players, forced by the rule," he added.
During his stint, Dravid made the decision of dropping Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane and Ishant Sharma from the team. He also had a talk with Wriddhiman Saha about his future.
"There is no easy answer to it. I think the thing that comes to me is at least you try to be honest about it. In your communication and dealings with players, if there is an honesty and if they can think that you are doing without any political agenda or any bias in play, then that is the best you can hope for. That has to be a guiding principle," he remarked.
Rahul Dravid is currently in the West Indies with the Indian team for an all-format tour. India will play two Tests, three ODIs and five T20Is on the Caribbean tour.
