Players will believe they won’t be dropped after just 1 bad game: Virender Sehwag on Rahul Dravid’s selection as head coach

Virender Sehwag believes Rahul Dravid’s appointment as India’s head coach will imbue much-needed stability in the team and the minds of the players.

The former opener’s remarks came during an interaction with Cricbuzz, a day after the official announcement by the BCCI. Virender Sehwag argued that players who lack confidence or haven’t received much support from the team management in the recent past will now believe they won’t be dropped after a few bad games.

He said:

“His presence will bring stability, which we talk about all the time. The players will have the confidence that ‘I will get some more chances before getting dropped’. Because he has played at this level and he always believes that a player should be given enough opportunities before getting dropped. We have been discussing for some time that the players are not confident, the management doesn’t support the players, they are dropped after just one game. Perhaps Rahul Dravid is also brilliant in the sense that he’ll give full opportunity to a player before sitting him out.”

Rahul Dravid will take over the role from Ravi Shastri immediately after the ongoing T20 World Cup. He will join hands with a yet-to-be-confirmed T20I captaincy replacement of Virat Kohli when India take on New Zealand in a home series from November 17.

“Really looking forward to this role” – Rahul Dravid

Speaking about his appointment on Wednesday, Rahul Dravid said he’s looking forward to unlocking the team’s potential, with a focus on next year’s T20 World Cup and the ODI World Cup in 2023. He said:

“:It is an absolute honour to be appointed as the new Head Coach of the Indian Cricket Team and I am really looking forward to this role. Under Mr Shastri, the team has done very well, and I hope to work with the team to take this forward. Having worked closely with most of the boys either at NCA, U19 and India A setup, I know they have the passion and desire to improve every day. There are some marquee multi-team events in the next two years, and I look forward to working with the players and the support staff to achieve our potential.”

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Meanwhile, India defeated Afghanistan by 66 runs to keep their slim semi-final hopes alive in the ongoing T20 World Cup. They’ll now hope for wins by even bigger margins against Scotland and Namibia on November 5 and 8 respectively.