Former India head coach Rahul Dravid revealed that he never intended to take the senior team job. The former India captain served as coach for three years, stepping down after India’s victorious 2024 T20 World Cup campaign. Dravid had worked with the U19 and A teams while at the NCA, but his wife Vijeta convinced him to take up the top job.
Give it a few years: How Rahul Dravid’s wife convinced him to take up India job
Speaking to Ravichandran Ashwin on his podcast, Rahul Dravid revealed that he enjoyed coaching at the NCA. Dravid was hired as the U19 coach a few months before the 2016 U19 World Cup. The former India captain had ventured into coaching with Rajasthan and Delhi at that point and enjoyed the work life balance it gave him.
“Honestly, I didn’t really want to take up the senior job. It came up at a time when I was enjoying coaching. I was doing a couple of stuff, including coaching the Delhi team in the IPL. And then the opportunity came up to do some U19 or India A work. It seemed interesting because I can do it for a month and half and come back,” Dravid told Ashwin
But then there was a World Cup in Bangladesh and we did not have time to prepare that batch well. It was interesting not because of the World Cup. It was about giving exposure not just to the 15 guys but to the larger pool of 30 odd players over the next two years,” he added
Why did Dravid not want the India job?
The biggest drawback of coaching for Dravid was time away from his family. The Wall as he fondly remembered had a 15-year India career and retired as the second leading run-getter for the country in Test cricket. even during coaching, he hadn’t considered progressing to the senior job, which eventually came to him in 2021. A push from his wife Vijeta, however convinced him and the rest is history.
“It balanced out my family life really well. I am grateful that Vijeta and my kids have always been supportive of what I’ve done and allowed me to do what I’ve been able to do. It is tougher for the family because you are away from them for long periods of time. The opportunity for India came up in a rushed manner, but Vijeta said that I was passionate about coaching at a higher level and I should give it a go for a few years. I loved doing it and enjoyed working with you guys,” Dravid said.
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