Final roll of dice for Rahul Dravid’s Team India at T20 World Cup

A Rahul Dravid press conference can sometimes throw you off. He’ll give you a little bit of that, a little bit of this, then turn it all around and in the end you can often be left wondering what he was really trying to say.

Now, Dravid’s stint as India coach feels a bit like his press conferences. He has given us some moments of joy, some of frustration, but still left many fans wondering what it is that he has really achieved.

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In T20Is, India have played 71 matches with Dravid as coach. They have recorded 50 wins, 17 losses, 2 ties, 2 no results. The numbers, in no small measure, are outstanding but critics might argue that in the absence of trophies, they matter little.

When he took over as coach in November 2021, he stated his side would “focus” on three “big events” — the 2022 T20 World Cup, the 2021-23 ICC World Test Championship, and the 2023 ODI World Cup. The three events have come and gone but the trophy eluded India — now, luck or perhaps the lethargy of BCCI has given him a fourth opportunity, a final chance to define his tenure.

He’ll be gone after the World Cup but what memories will he leave us with?

One of the criticisms of India’s 2024 T20 World Cup squad is how it has been resistant to change. With few changes in personnel, skipper Rohit Sharma will have much the same talent from the 2022 campaign. Dravid will have to hope they have all learnt from their mistakes, or at least acknowledge that there were wrong.

There may be a downside but then again, this is a group that is completely at ease with each other. They have experienced highs and lows together and know what they need to do. The only question is whether they can execute on the day; on the day that really matters.

This Indian team is one of the favourites to win the trophy. But then they are favourites along with Australia, England and New Zealand, in almost every tournament they play. That is the state of the game at present. Pakistan and West Indies are wild cards. South Africa are the dark horses but the favourites are roughly the same across formats.

There are issues with the Indian team — the Rohit-Hardik situation isn’t ideal, neither is a lack of pace allrounders. The short turnaround time between IPL and the World Cup may have an impact on the mentality of the team too. But as former England skipper Nasser Hussain said during a recent podcast, “India are favourites for the T20 World Cup because of the players they left behind.”

India’s performances in ICC T20 tournaments in the last decade haven’t been poor. In 2014, they lost to Sri Lanka in the final; in 2016, they lost to West Indies in the semi-finals; in 2021, they failed to make the semis after beginning their campaign with two losses. And in 2022, they lost to England in the semi-final. So, the big hurdle for India has been the knockout matches and that, in essence, is the question Dravid should have pondered over the most.

What is it that Dravid can tell them this time that could change things? Are there any magic words? All teams do the routine well — they go to practice, get enough rest, plan some team building sessions. All routine, and unfortunately for India routine also means losing in the knockouts.

The tactics, the data, the team have all been in place for a while now. Rohit also told us that international cricket is different from IPL after the team selection, “Talk of our 15 had started much before IPL. IPL performances change every day. Anyone will come and score hundred and take five wickets. So, you can’t change your mindset around it. We had clarity of what our core group will be like — 70-80% of our squad.”

But the key might be to approach this tournament not as a favourite, but as a challenger; as a team that has not won an ICC trophy since 2013; as a team desperate to change that. During the 2023 ODI World Cup, India tried to do that and it worked pretty well until the final. Perhaps a similar approach is in order.

As coach, Dravid needs something to shake up the squad. That could start by picking the right players for the playing XI and not letting seniority get in the way. It could get the squad members motivated in its own way.

If deeds don’t work, then he will only have words to fall back on. Dravid usually presents a pragmatic approach but perhaps he might want to borrow from the book of his predecessor and ask the team to “Go smash them.” If that doesn’t shock them, nothing will.