Kolkata : Indian former T20 World Cup winning head coach Rahul Dravid has revealed the lowest point of his successful tenure as Indian head coach.
Dravid revealed that India’s tour of South Africa in 2021-22 early in his tenure, which also proved to be last red ball series of Virat Kohli as captain, was his lowest point in his coaching career.
India were 1-0 up in that series & had the golden opportunity to secure maiden series win in the South African soil, however, the Proteas came back strong, winning the series 2-1 , hammering India heavily in next 2 matches. Even they clinched the ODI Series too.
Dravid said regarding this Red Ball series in an interview with Star Sports, “If you ask me what is the lowest point, I would say that the South Africa Test series early on in my career. We won the first Test match in South Africa in Centurion, and then we were playing in the second and third Test match. We have never won a series in South Africa, as you know. It was a really big opportunity for us to win that series. Some of our senior players were not there.”
Dravid shared that despite the unavailability of senior players like Rohit Sharma in that series due to injury, India fought hard and had opportunity to win the series in both the 2nd & 3rd Test, but South Africa played well enough to win it.
Dravid said, “Rohit Sharma was injured, and we didn’t have some senior players in that series. But we were very close, and in both the Test matches–the second and the third test matches–in the third innings, we had a big opportunity. We could have set a decent score and won the game, but South Africa played well. They chased back in the fourth innings. So I would say that that was probably my lowest point in my coaching career–not being able to win that series in spite of being ahead”.
After this series, Dravid and Rohit Sharma era started and they had a good partnership from being runners up in WTC 2023 , ICC ODI World Cup 2023, winning Asia Cup & ICC T20 WC, thereby, ending his successful tenure.
