Sourav Ganguly’s Bold Statement On Rahul Dravid And Rohit Sharma’s Reign: “India Should Win At Least ’50 Percent Of Finals”

Rahul Dravid’s forthcoming ODI World Cup will be his final event as the head coach of the Indian cricket team. India’s record under Dravid has been anything but positive, having lost the World Test Championship final this year, advanced to the semifinals of the 2022 T20 World Cup, lost a Test series in South Africa, and reversed England in the decisive final Test at Birmingham.

Sourav Ganguly on Rohit and Virat

In an interview conducted on the sidelines of a promotional event on Monday, former captain and BCCI president Sourav Ganguly said: “At least they are making the finals. Even guys like Rohit and Kohli, who play for Dravid as their coach, are aware that they should prevail when they are in these situations (knockouts). Not always, but at least half of the time.

Dravid as a head coach for the past two years

When Ganguly was president of the BCCI two years ago, he helped persuade Dravid to accept the position. “I don’t wish to pass judgement. We’ll see what transpires following the World Cup, he remarked at a Casagrand event for developers. I send him my warmest regards for the World Cup. He has a capable squad at his disposal. Rahul knows what it takes because he has competed for India as a player at World Cups. I’m hoping they play well.

“What you do before and after the World Cup is irrelevant. I hope he will convey the idea that success on the pitch determines who wins the World Cup.

India needs to bat well: Ganguly

KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer, the returning middle-order batsmen for India, didn’t get much playing time, but Ganguly wasn’t concerned about it either. “They’ll participate in the three games against Australia and the Asia Cup. They’ll set up camp. That ought to be sufficient, he added. Simply put, India needs to bat well. They’ll need to score large runs. They have bowling, and as the competition goes on, spin will be important.

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Keeping faith in Yuzvendra Chahal is what Ganguly would have done differently from the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee. “I’d choose Chahal. I’d always choose wrist spinners,” he admitted.