Full-time coaching role has lot of challenges, haven’t given it thought yet: Rahul Dravid

By ANI

COLOMBO: Rahul Dravid, India’s head coach for the Sri Lanka tour, has said there are a lot of challenges that come with a full-time coaching role and he has not given any thought to taking up the job yet.

Sri Lanka defeat India by seven wickets in the third and final T20I to win the series 2-1. Earlier, India had won the ODI series by the same margin.

“I have enjoyed this experience, I have not thought anything too far ahead. I am happy with what I am doing. I have not given anything any thought apart from this tour. I have enjoyed the experience, I have enjoyed working with these guys. It has been great. No, I have not given thought to anything else. There are a lot of challenges with doing a full-time role so I really do not know,” said Dravid during a virtual post-match press conference.

Earlier, Sri Lanka spinner Wanindu Hasaranga showed remarkable skills with the ball as the Indian batting lineup was restricted to a mediocre 81/8 in the allotted twenty overs. After being eight down for 63, Chetan Sakariya and Kuldeep ensured the visitors got over the 80-run mark.

“I am not disappointed. They are young batters and they will have to learn and get better. It is only when they are exposed to these types of conditions and quality of bowling, Sri Lankan team, their bowling attack is their international bowling attack. They are missing a few batsmen because of different reasons, but this is a complete attack. I am not disappointed, they would have liked to score few more runs. It is a great opportunity for us to learn, not all wickets are going to be flat. We need a way to reach 130-140,” said Dravid.

“We do not get these types of conditions very often in T20 cricket, but when you do, you need to have the response and you need to play slightly better. You need to find a way to reach 135-140 at least. They are all youngsters, we need to have patience with them and we need to give them more opportunities,” he added.

When asked whether the youngsters can play the spinners slightly better, Dravid said: “All of us have had challenges facing quality bowling, be it spin or pace. We have all had to fight our way through that. It needs experience and time. Obviously, over the last couple of games, we did not have that cushion, our players are young. It was heartening to see how our spinners performed. I think one thing that is slightly different is that when I played, the wickets in domestic cricket turned a little bit more.”

“The wickets have gotten a little better in Ranji Trophy, which is great. I do not think the talent is missing in batting or spin bowling, I just think we need a little bit of experience to decide what type of shot to play. It was tough batting for them as well,” he added.