3 reasons why India are missing Rahul Dravid the coach after BGT 2024-25

The Indian cricket team might be missing their previous head coach Rahul Dravid. Gautam Gambhir, the current head coach, is under scrutiny after India's 3-1 series defeat in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25.

The Indian team enjoyed much success under Rahul Dravid, who is celebrating his 52nd birthday on Saturday, January 11, 2025. Dravid is the most successful Indian head coach since 2000, with a 71.5% win percentage (103 wins from 144 games).

He signed off on a high, leading India to the 2024 T20 World Cup triumph and ending a decade-long wait for an ICC trophy. Moreover, India also played the World Test Championship (WTC) final and the 2023 ODI World Cup final during his tenure.

Things do not seem quite right with Gambhir at the helm at present. Not only did India suffer a 0-3 home Test series defeat to New Zealand but also failed to retain the BGT and qualify for the 2025 WTC final.

As Rahul Dravid turns 52, let us look at three reasons why the Indian team might be missing the former head coach.

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#1 The Indian team is undergoing a transition phase

The Indian cricket team is currently undergoing a transition phase. While the transition in white-ball formats could be easier to deal with, the transition in the Test team is certainly more challenging.

The transition in both the batting and bowling departments of the Test team had already begun before Gautam Gambhir took over. Results are testimony that Gambhir has probably found it hard to deal with the transition. India suffered consecutive Test series defeats against New Zealand (at home) and Australia (away).

Rahul Dravid, who has also worked with several youngsters during his time with the India U-19 and A teams, would have been the ideal candidate to carry the transition phase forward and leave the team a lot more settled before ending his stint.

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#2 Stability in the team and selection

Stability in the team is always key to success in cricket, particularly at the international level. Rahul Dravid created stability in the team, making the environment safe and secure for players.

Dravid was known for building connections with players and creating an ideal atmosphere. Stability in terms of selection is also key, something that the current team seems to be lacking.

Gautam Gambhir made several questionable and baffling selection calls throughout the BGT 2024-25 series. These decisions evidently hurt the Indian team, resulting in a 1-3 series loss. In that sense, Dravid was more tactically sound as a coach as opposed to Gambhir. He had once mentioned in an interview with BCCI.tv that he does not like chopping and changing a lot of things as it creates instability.

Careful decision-making is key to success, and Dravid displayed the same on many occasions, leading India to multiple ICC finals during his tenure.

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#1 Rahul Dravid was in sync with Rohit Sharma

The relationship between a coach and captain is equally important for any team to succeed. Rahul Dravid maintained good relationships with players. He was in sync with captain Rohit Sharma, which led the team to succeed across formats.

In the same interview with BCCI.tv, Dravid had mentioned that his job as a coach was to help the captain deliver his vision and how he wanted the team to play. During the recent BGT 2024-25 series, reports of rifts between Rohit and Gambhir came out, something that did not happen while Dravid was at the helm.

Given multiple changes and several questionable selection calls throughout the series, it is difficult to tell whether Gambhir and Rohit were actually in sync and on the same page.

Rohit opting out of the final Test in Sydney when the team was in a must-win situation also did not paint a positive picture.