'Should Be India's Coach Only In Tests, Not In T20Is:' Former Pakistan Spinner On Rahul Dravid

Rahul Dravid took the charge as the coach of the Indian team when Ravi Shastri decided to step down following the 2021 T20 World Cup.

India's head coach Rahul Dravid.

New Delhi: A lot of former cricketers have started castigating the Indian team after they lost to England in the semi-finals of the ongoing T20 World Cup. Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria came up with very harsh words against the Indian team. He said Rahul Dravid should not hold the position of the coach of the Indian team in the shortest format.

He said, "If you picked Pant, you should've utilised him. He should've been sent out to bat higher up in the batting order, after KL Rahul got out. He came out to bat in the 19th over. What can he do then? India would have to change its mindset. Rahul Dravid will have to change his mentality. As a cricketer, Rahul Dravid was excellent in the Test format. He should be India's coach only in Tests but not in T20Is”.

Rahul Dravid took the charge as the coach of the Indian team when Ravi Shastri decided to step down following the 2021 T20 World Cup.

"His intent is not there as there's no aggression. He doesn't know how to handle pressure. He was a 'calm and cool cricketer' who can stay on the crease for the whole day. But, this is T20 cricket. Here, you have to handle pressure. But, you can't handle pressure in T20s," Kaneria said in a video on his YouTube channel. 

"Rahul Dravid also made big mistakes before the World Cup. Different teams were set up by the management but preparation was zero. Where was Rahul Tewatia? If he was there, India would've had an all-rounder who could've played a role similar to Shadab Khan. He bowls and can be an impact player as a batter. You didn't invest in him. Your bowling department was weak but you didn't do anything. Mohammed Siraj could've been X-Factor while Umran Malik was also not picked. You need express pacers in Australia. You don't need 120-130 kph bowlers there," he further added.

Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan (vc), Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Usman Qadir.