Cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar wants Rahul Dravid to take up the highly challenging job of India coach but the former captain is not ready as yet to assume the mantle from under-fire incumbent Duncan Fletcher because of “time constraints”.
“I am happy that he (Gavaskar) said I am capable of doing the job. But the job requires a lot of time, almost 11 months a year. I have just retired and at the moment because of time constraints, I have to decline (the suggestion),” said Dravid at a promotional event here on Friday.
Dravid, however, did not totally rule out the possibility of taking up the job in future. “I am going to perform a different role (mentor) for Rajasthan Royals this year in IPl. Who knows what lies in store in the future,” said the 41-year-old former batsman.
Dravid expected the Cricket Board to continue with the current support staff comprising Zimbabwean Fletcher, bowling and fielding coaches Joe Dawes and Trevor Penney, respectively, at least till the end of the next World Cup in March 2015.
“With the World Cup less than a year away I don’t think there would be any changes in the support staff of the team. Ideally, they should be given a four-year period to change things. There is no point of changing the leadership ahead of the World Cup,” said Dravid.
“Sometimes the role of the coach is overrated. The responsibility should always lie with the senior group of players and the captain. The team is defined by what the senior players bring to the party.
“How you prepare the players, what you do with your players is what you should be judged over. There is very subjective judgement, at times. Coaches sometimes can’t really influence the course of the game, but are judged on the course of the game. The coach’s job finishes after the game starts.”
“It’s a professional world. It does not matter where the coach is from. The best man should get the job irrespective of his nationality. We have had Indian coaches at various roles involved with the cricket team in the past. Over a long period we had people like Robin (Singh) and (Venkatesh) Prasad who were involved with the team as well.
Backs Pujara for ODIs
Dravid backed Cheteshwar Pujara, who replaced him at number three in Indian Test team batting order, to come good in the ODIs like he did in his career.
“Speaking from my own personal experience and as someone who was being seen as a Test player, Pujara can certainly make a mark in one-day cricket. I was able to develop and build my game for one-day cricket, (which) I played successfully for quite a long time. I have no doubt that Pujara has the ability and the skill to do that,” he said.
Dravid was referring to his early struggles with the limited overs format and then his evolution as a batsman-keeper that helped him cement a place in the ODI team. “I don’t see any reason he (Pujara) cannot succeed in one-day cricket with the way he bats in Test matches, the way he rotates the strike, the kind of shots he plays all round the wicket and he scores runs at a pretty decent rate in Test cricket. I don’t have a doubt he will do well in one day cricket,” said Dravid.
The 41-year-old retired batting stalwart said though Pujara has not been able to force his way into the playing eleven after being inducted into the Asia Cup squad, he will get his chances in the near future.
“I am happy to see he has got into the Indian one-day squad. At the moment he is not able to get enough playing time. Hopefully, that will come,” said Dravid.