“Rahul has done well for India as a coach….”: Mohammed Kaif

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 2 (ANI): Former Indian cricketer Mohammed Kaif said that the current Indian head coach Rahul Dravid has done well for the team, especially during the 50-over World Cup last year, in which India reached the finals.

Kaif’s remarks come when Dravid’s contract as the team’s coach is set to expire after the conclusion of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup in West Indies and USA and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is already looking for the next head coach, till the year 2027, when the next 50-over World Cup will take place.

Speaking to ANI in an interaction felicitated by Star Sports, Kaif said, “This will be decided by BCCI, this is a very long process. Rahul Dravid did a good job. India reached the 2023 World Cup final, winning 10 consecutive matches and losing only one game. So Rahul has done well for India as a coach.”

Dravid became the Indian head coach in November 2021 and under him, Men in Blue secured the Asia Cup title in 2023. However, they have not won a major ICC trophy under him till yet, losing in the semifinals of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia to England by 10 wickets, sustaining a crushing 209-run loss to Australia in the ICC World Test Championship final last year in UK and a heartbreaking six-wicket loss to Australia in the 50-over World Cup final at home after a dominating streak of ten victories till the semifinals against New Zealand.

However, Men in Blue will be aiming to change that by winning the ICC T20 World Cup and putting an end to their 10-year-old trophy drought.

India will start their T20 World Cup campaign on June 5 against Ireland at the newly constructed Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York.

Meanwhile, the most-awaited blockbuster clash between India and Pakistan will take place on June 9. They will later play tournament co-hosts USA (June 12) and Canada (June 15) to wrap up their Group A matches.

In the tournament, India will be aiming to end their ICC trophy drought, having last won the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013. Since then, India has reached the 50-over World Cup final in 2023, semifinal in 2015 and 2019, the title clash of the ICC World Test Championship in 2021 and 2023, T20 WC final in 2014, semifinals in 2016 and 2022 but failed to secure a big ICC trophy.

India will be aiming to win their first T20 WC title since they won the inaugural edition of the tournament back in 2007 in South Africa. In the last edition held in Australia in 2022, India lost to England by 10 wickets in the semifinals.

India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj

Reserves: Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed and Avesh Khan.