As the dust settles on the frenetic and sometimes mad phase of the Indian Premier League, the cricketing attention of India now shifts towards the national team, with the South Africa T20 International series setting off a journey that has several stations, not least the single Test match to be played in England to finish of the series that was truncated. For Head Coach Rahul Dravid too, this is a crucial time, more so because his sanity and a little bit of slowing down of the collective cricketing pulse rate is essential as India heads into big things down the year.
For example, if many in India were to be taken seriously, Jammu & Kashmir tearaway Umran Malik should be let loose on the opposition straightaway and he should bowl fast and furious and knock them all over. Here, Dravid comes in with his stability, appreciating the youngster’s talent and informing those concerned that he was doing well, but has a lot to learn and also, with such a big squad, game time for Malik is not a given.
This is what is needed at the hour. The hype of the IPL invariably brings about expectations from new stars, or old ones in a new garb. This is where the coach comes into his own, making decisions with a mature head, away from all the noise.
India’s calendar begins with the T20 International series against South Africa, with five matches, beginning with the one in New Delhi on Thursday. While it is just a bilateral series like many before, there are changes that will need the coach’s attention.
Right at the top, there are no Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli to fall back on, with the captaincy mantle falling on KL Rahul. While Rahul has shown quite a bit of acumen as skipper in the recent past, this is a change that will need for the coach to come in at frequent intervals.
The squad has an interesting look, with the likes of Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh and Malik rubbing shoulders with the veterans like Dinesh Karthik and the IPL-winning rejuvenated Hardik Pandya, among others.
What makes the coach’s job that much more interesting is that, this being a World Cup year, he has not only to look at the immediate concerns of the series in hand, he also has to keep his eye on the potentials for the big one.
Not an easy job. But then, that is where the coaching staff earn their money.
Then of course, there is the one Test remaining in the five-match series between England and India, deferred after a combination of Covid cases in the Indian squad and IPL 2021 engagements forced a re-drawing of the lines.
This is where things get a little interesting, with the Test squad, led by Rohit Sharma, to be in action at the same time as the T20I squad, which will be playing two matches in Ireland before coming into England. Both the teams will see action on the same day at times during the series.
While the Ireland leg will see VVS Laxman going in as coach, Dravid will obviously have to keep his fingers in all the pies. Another challenge for the veteran.
England is never an easy tour, and with the series standing at 2-1 in favour of India, the hosts will come out all guns blazing to draw the series. They will also have Test match practice, thanks to the series with New Zealand, while India will go in practically raw.
What is a plus however for India, is that they have found new leaders.
“It is great that we have a lot of Indian captains doing well. Hardik was one of them. Brilliant. KL did a good job at LSG and Sanju in RR. Shreyas in KKR,” Dravid said ahead of the South Africa series.
“It is really great to see the young batters leading the team. It helps people grow and develop as players, having to lead teams to make the decisions. It helps you grow as a person and as a player. It is great from our perspective that the younger Indian players are leading well in the IPL,” he added.
Nevertheless, the onus of getting the teams – T20I to start with, then Test, as well as the ODI side – into a singular shape and form of success will be the job of Rahul Dravid, and no one envies him this.
He will have his hands full, that is for sure. But then, that is why he has been deployed, because of his man management skills and innate knowledge of the game. Hopefully, he will come out looking good, as will the team.
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