Rahul Dravid Shares His Toughest Moment as India’s Coach: The 2021-22 South Africa Series
Former Indian coach and skipper Rahul Dravid opened up about his lowest point as the head coach of the Indian cricket team. He revealed that it was the series loss to South Africa during the 2021-22 season.
The 2021-22 South Africa Series
Back in 2021-22, under Virat Kohli’s captaincy, India had a strong chance to win a series in South Africa for the first time. After a big win in the first Test at Centurion, expectations were high. However, South Africa made a comeback with two seven-wicket wins in the next two Tests, despite India dominating at some points. This series was also Virat Kohli’s last as Test captain.
Dravid’s Reflections
Speaking to Star Sports, Dravid said, “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 mentioned that key players like Rohit Sharma were injured, and despite their absence, India matched South Africa in both matches. However, South Africa managed to restrict India to low scores and chased down targets with ease.
“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,” Dravid added.
Dravid’s Coaching Achievements
Despite this setback, Dravid had a successful coaching career. He led India to an ICC T20 World Cup victory after a thrilling win over South Africa in June at Barbados. India also finished as runners-up in the 50-over World Cup and the ICC World Test Championship last year. Additionally, India won the 50-over Asia Cup last year.
Doubts Revealed
Rahul Dravid -: Rahul Dravid is a famous former Indian cricketer and the current head coach of the Indian cricket team. He is known for his calm and composed nature and was one of the best batsmen in the world.
South Africa Series -: The South Africa Series refers to a set of cricket matches played between India and South Africa. In the 2021-22 season, India played against South Africa in South Africa and lost the series.
Virat Kohli -: Virat Kohli is a well-known Indian cricketer and former captain of the Indian cricket team. He is famous for his aggressive playing style and has many records to his name.
Rohit Sharma -: Rohit Sharma is another famous Indian cricketer known for his excellent batting skills. He is also the current captain of the Indian cricket team in some formats.
ICC T20 World Cup -: The ICC T20 World Cup is a global cricket tournament organized by the International Cricket Council (ICC). Teams from different countries compete in the T20 format, which is a shorter version of cricket.
50-over World Cup -: The 50-over World Cup, also known as the ICC Cricket World Cup, is another major cricket tournament where teams play matches with each side having 50 overs to bat. It is one of the most prestigious events in cricket.