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India's early exit in the T20 World Cup 2021 marked the end of Ravi Shastri's era, which was termed as a hugely successful one across all formats with only an ICC trophy missing. To keep the momentum going and take the national side to greater heights, BCCI has now appointed Rahul Dravid as the new head coach of the senior side.
The 48-year-old has been vital in the development and growth of youngsters in last few years, having coached the India Under-19 team and India A team in addition to being the head of National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. Having been around the setup for some time now, it seems like Dravid is keen to apply all the learnings he has had while working with the young players in last few years.
Dravid begins work behind the scenes
The modern day cricket is slightly different from how it used to be few years back during the playing days of Dravid. Things have drastically changed over time as players nowadays have started to focus on their mental health as well. With IPL, the calendar has become extremely hectic and workload management has become a crucial aspect in today's time.
Much to the delight of all cricket fans, the new Indian coach is considering all the aspects which govern the modern game. India's Test squad for the upcoming 2-match series against New Zealand was announced on Friday but it has been reported that there was lot of work done behind the scenes during the selection of players.
What did Dravid do before announcement of squads?
Notably, India have a very busy schedule going ahead (after NZ series) as they are set to leave for South Africa on December 8 and where they will play 3 Tests, 3 ODI & 4 T20s. After that, they are slated to host West Indies and Sri Lanka before IPL 2022 and T20 World Cup (in Australia).
Considering how hectic the schedule looks for India in the coming months, Rahul Dravid realized the need to talk to players. As per sources, the newly-appointed head coach called all the players individually to enquire about their state of physical and metal fitness.
In addition, it has also been reported that the 48-year-old asked players to take rest if they want to, while assuring that their places in squad won't get affected even if someone else comes and performs. Dravid also briefed the players about what he expects from them going ahead under his leadership.
Rohit and Pant given rest; Jadeja-Ashwin wanted to play
Following the conversations with all the players, a list of their availability was reportedly sent to the selectors after which India's Test squad was announced. Notably, players like Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant expressed their desire to take rest and hence were not included in the side. On the other hand, the spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin wanted to play and hence were selected in the squad.