Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith extends support to Rahul Dravid amidst intense criticism

The ICC Champions Trophy 2013 was indeed the last time India clinched an ICC title. Since their memorable victory against England in Birmingham in 2013, India have faced difficulties in major tournaments. However, after a 10-year gap, the Indian team will be hosting the upcoming ODI World Cup in the latter stages of 2023, and they will be aiming to make their mark.

India’s defeat in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia has raised questions and sparked discussions even weeks after the match.

Rahul Dravid, the coach of the Indian team, has faced criticism regarding his ability to guide India to an ICC trophy. Nonetheless, there are experts and cricketing greats who believe that Dravid may need some fine-tuning but is the right person for the job. Since taking over as head coach, Dravid has led the Indian team to the semi-finals of the 2022 T20 World Cup and to the WTC final.

Former South African captain Graeme Smith recently shared his perspective on Dravid’s tenure as coach. Smith highlighted the significant challenges that Dravid faces in his role and urged the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to give him a fair opportunity to rebuild the Indian team.

Smith mentioned that assuming a leadership role in Indian cricket comes with the weight of expectations. With an abundance of high-quality players, India has the potential to form two or three teams. The main challenge for any leader lies in managing and balancing squads, tour schedules, and different formats. These decisions related to team composition and progression will be crucial for Rahul and his selection team.

“When you get involved in a leadership role in Indian cricket, the expectation is something that you are going to have to come to terms with. There’s a huge quality of players. India can put two or three teams together. The biggest challenge in India for a leader is balancing those squads, balancing your tour schedules, the different formats, and those are some of the biggest decisions that are coming ahead of Rahul and his selection team,” Greame Smith was quoted as saying to Times Of India.

“What do those squads look like, how do they move those teams forward. He’s a quality man and a quality performer. He’s shown it right through as a coach. So, you’ve got to give him a fair opportunity now to kind of rebuild India,” Smith Further added.

After finishing as runners-up in the previous season, the Indian team will travel to the Caribbean Islands as they begin their new World Test Championship cycle. Along with a two-match Test series, India will also participate in three ODIs and five T20Is against West Indies.

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June 23, 2023 at 10:54AM