Former India coach Ravi Shastri has slammed the BCCI for giving current India coach Rahul Dravid so many breaks from his job. This comes after VVS Laxman took over the head coach duties for the New Zealand white-ball tour after the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia.
This is not the first time Rahul Dravid and his team of support staff got a break with Laxman and his team overseeing the duties of the Men in Blue.
Dravid and Co. had to give the Ireland tour a miss as the senior squad in England prepping up for the ODI and T20I series; However, Dravid was absent when India beat Zimbabwe in August, as well as during last month's home ODI series against South Africa.
Shastri, on the other hand, was a constant presence in the dressing room irrespective of whichever team played, is not in favor of Dravid's constant breaks, pointing out that the regular gaps can affect the coach-player relationship.
One of the reasons why Shastri decided not to continue as India's head coach for another term is because it required him to be on the road all the time, something he admitted took a toll on him in seven years with the team.
"I do not believe is breaks. Because I want to understand my team, I want to understand my players and I want to then, be in control of that team. These breaks... what do you need that many breaks for to be honest? You get your 2-3 months of the IPL, that's enough for you to rest as a coach. But other times, I think a coach should be hands-on, whoever he is,” Shastri said during a virtual press conference on the eve of the first T20I between India and New Zealand in Wellington.
Apart from Dravid, batting coach Vikram Rathour and bowling coach Paras Mhambrey have also been rested with Hrishikesh Kanitkar and Sairaj Bahutule filling in for them. Dravid will return to his coaching duties when India leaves for Bangladesh for ODI and Test series, along with Rathour and Mhambrey starting December 4.
Ravi Shastri also talked about being in agreement with VVS Laxman’s thoughts that going forward India’s T20 future will be dominated by young stars. With the next T20 World Cup scheduled in 2024, by when Rohit will be 37 and Kohli 36, it is extremely likely that they pave way for the younger set of players to take charge.
"I think that is the way forward. VVS is right. They will identify the specialists, especially with youngsters because going forward, that should be the mantra. Two years from now, identify and make that Indian team into a terrific fielding side and of course identify roles for these youngsters who could be fearless. And go out there and play that kind of cricket without any baggage whatsoever," Shastri said while replying to a query from Hindustan Times.
He added: "There is an opportunity with this team in the future to identify match winners and duties, and going pretty much on the template of England. Because they are one team that really caught the bull by its horns after the 2016 World Cup. They went, they sat down and said, 'We are going to change our resources. We are going to identify the best players for that format of the game - whether it's T20 or 50-over cricket. And which meant that if there were certain senior players who would sit out, then be it.
And they got in youngsters who were fearless, who could adapt to that pattern of the game without having to change too much. So it's a template that can be followed easily. India have got a wealth of resources and I think it can start now from this tour. Because when you look at this team, it's a fresh, young side... you can identify, groom and take this team ahead in two years' time."
