“During my tenure, we won two Asia Cups, but no one remembers..” – Ravi Shastri indirectly raises questions on Rahul Dravid’s tenure as the India team’s head coach

The 16 months that have passed since Rahul Dravid became India’s head coach have been both rewarding and trying for him. To be quite honest, the successes have been outnumbered by the failures. Some of the greatest disappointments of the Dravid era include losing the Test and ODI series in South Africa, missing out on the Asia Cup final, and being eliminated in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup. Nonetheless, there have also been bright spots, like India’s continued home undefeated run and their 2-1 series triumph against Australia to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Dravid is taking over after the tremendous success India had under Ravi Shastri, so he has some huge shoes to fill. And when that happens, it’s hard to avoid drawing parallels. Dravid has significant challenges in matching the achievements of his predecessor, Shastri. Shastri indirectly evaluated Dravid’s coaching skills by pushing fans to have greater trust in and patience with The Wall.

What did Ravi Shastri say?

Although it is expected that Dravid’s contract would be extended after this year’s World Cup, the success or failure of India in a World Cup Year, let alone at home, will undoubtedly have an effect on Dravid’s career going forward. In support of Dravid, Shastri said that Indians are only interested in success as long as it leads to trophies. To illustrate his point, Shastri thought back to the 2016 and 2018 Asia Cups, which India won in consecutive years.

“It takes time. It took me time and it’s going to take him time too. But Rahul has an advantage that he was at the NCA, he was with the A team as well and now he’s here too. He is experienced with contemporary cricketer players and with the system. Give him time,” Shastri told Sports Tak on the sidelines of Legends League Cricket Masters.

“In our country, public memory is short. If you have to win, you have to win. During my tenure, we won two Asia Cups, but no one remembers. Has anyone mentioned Asia Cup? We’ve won it twice. And no one talks about it. But when we lose in Asia Cup, then the tournament comes into the picture. Why? That’s why I’m saying, the effort should always be there,” he added.

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