As the national cricket coach, Rahul Dravid is just one series old, but the man is a doer and has already taken many significant steps to ensure that the players can perform to their full potential and remain respectful while they are at it. Here are a few examples.
1. He has brought back the rule of players getting their India caps from veteran cricketers. In recent years, this practice was scrapped and debutants would get their caps from either someone in the team, the captain, or support staff.
Shreyas Iyer, who made his Test debut against New Zealand, got his cap from Sunil Gavaskar. We don’t think that the involvement of the captain or a teammate is any less special, but this has nostalgia attached to it, and well, it’s tradition.
2. He has remained optimistic but also realistic. When India defeated New Zealand 3-0, he categorically stated that the opponents, who were also the World Cup finalists, hardly had any time to rest before the series, and so, we must keep our feet on the ground.
We love to see our coach acknowledging the difficulties faced by the opposite team.
3. He is involved in the game. Truly, he is out there practicing.
Now that’s a sight we have not seen in a long time, have we? It’s heartening to know that he cares so much, he is ready to bowl in the nets to bring out the best in players.
4. He is highly appreciative of his peers and we love that. Recently, he was seen patting the back of India’s fielding coach, T Dilip after Ishan Kishan dismissed Santner with a direct hit.
5. He has very real expectations from his players and has said that they need to be treated like humans, not machines.
Dravid also likes to give them their space. When asked if he had a conversation with the players after his appointment, he said that he didn’t because the team was playing the World Cup and he did not want to bother anyone.
We can’t wait to see what all the team achieves under his guidance. And by that, we don’t just mean trophies.