"When India won, Virat Kohli wasn't your number 1 batsman"- Rahul Dravid's coaching scrutinised by Parthiv Patel

As Rahul Dravid set to step down as Team India's head coach after the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2024, former Indian wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel shared his thoughts on the legend’s significant achievements and contributions to Indian cricket.

Patel admitted that winning ICC trophies is an ultimate goal for any coach, but the culture and style of play instilled within the team are equally significant achievements for the coach. The commentator mentioned that the Indian cricket team adopted an aggressive approach under Dravid's coaching tenure, and it was evident during the ODI World Cup 2023.

Parthiv Patel reflects on Rahul Dravid’s legacy as India head coach

Despite falling short of clinching the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 and ICC World Test Championship, losing both to Australia reflected the progress Team India made under Dravid’s stint, said Patel. However, India couldn’t yet win an ICC trophy under Dravid’s guidance, but they won two big Test series against Australia along with several bilateral series triumphs.

India also won the Asia Cup last year under Dravid’s guidance. Now, the Men in Blue would be certainly eager to give a perfect farewell to the Indian legend by winning the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA and Caribbean. Notably, the former Indian skipper replaced Ravi Shastri as India’s coach in 2021.

Parthiv Patel said on Cricbuzz: “As a coach, you want to win the trophy, but another factor is what kind of culture you want to imbibe within the team. What kind of cricket do you want to play? And the biggest example of that was India's attacking style during the World Cup. There were question marks about whether they could, but Team India constantly did it.”

He said that India reached the finals of the WTC and ODI World Cup, and just one bad day can’t diminish his achievements. The former Indian cricketer also praised Dravid for nurturing new talent through his various stints with the BCCI. Notably, Dravid was India A coach and NCA head before becoming the senior team’s head coach.

Rahul Dravid did every job with aplomb: Parthiv Patel

Patel mentioned that Dhruv Jurel emerged as a notable wicketkeeper after Rishabh Pant, while the fast-bowling department saw promising performances from Akash Deep and Mukesh Kumar, and even the numbers of serious spin talents are line-up.

In the batting lineup, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill steered India to many victories when Virat Kohli was not performing, and the former wicketkeeper said that these developments showed how successful Dravid's tenure was and the lasting impact he has made on Indian cricket.

He signed off by saying, “Whatever there was to do, Rahul Dravid did it with aplomb. Yashasvi Jaiswal was your leading run-scorer against England, and Shubman Gill became your No. 3 batter, which is a big move. The series which India won, Virat Kohli wasn't your No. 1 batter. So, there have been plenty of positives for which Rahul Dravid would be remembered.”

Notably, India will kick off their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign against Ireland on June 5 in New York.