The ODI series against South Africa was India’s biggest setback in recent cricket. The shock of this tragic defeat to the Indian fans was far greater than the shock of missing the semi-finals of the Twenty20 World Cup and losing the Test series against South Africa. Fans’ pain is compounded by the results of South Africa’s previous ODI series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, which they lost to a young Ireland. Therefore, this defeat is sure to haunt the Indian team and fans for a long time.
The first thing that comes to the minds of those looking for the cause of India’s miserable defeat will be the collapse of middle-order batting and the poor performance of the bowlers. But if you look at the progress cards of everyone on the team, the position of coach Rahul Dravid is below average. Former players, including Gautam Gambhir, have come out in the open amid criticism that Rahul Dravid’s experiment with team selection has backfired on the team.
In the absence of permanent captain Rohit Sharma, there are those who say that Dravid should have been a little more careful in the team selection. Where did Rahul Dravid go wrong in South Africa?
Collision on the bench
With the arrival of Rahul Dravid, the head of the National Cricket Academy and the coach of the Indian A team, everyone thought that it would be the spring of young players in the Indian senior team. Dravid’s first match as the permanent coach of the Indian team was in the Twenty20 series against New Zealand shortly after the Twenty20 World Cup.
Rituraj Gaikwad, the batting top scorer in the IPL, and Avesh Khan, who excelled in bowling, were not included in the squad. Despite India winning the series by 2 wickets, Dravid did not test the youngsters even in the unimportant third match. The same thing happened in the series against South Africa. Ishant Kishan and Vijay Hazare, who scored four centuries in the ODIs, were out for the rest of the match.
Rahul’s promotion
There are only two players in the Indian ODI team who are almost guaranteed a place in the middle order; Virat Kohli and KL Rahul. Rahul’s consistent performance in the 4th and 5th batting positions has cemented his place in the Indian ODI team. However, KL Rahul was the opener in all the three matches of the series against South Africa.
In the absence of Rohit Sharma, Rituraj, who could be India’s opener, and Ishant Kishan, who can replace Shikhar Dhawan as a left – handed batsman, were left without a match. Shreyas Iyer, who replaced Rahul in fifth position, was a complete failure in the first two matches. However, in the unimportant third ODI, the coach was unwilling to rest the senior batsmen or change his batting position.
Dismissal of Iyers
In the absence of Hardik Pandya, Venkatesh Iyer’s search for a batting all-rounder has come to the fore this time. The all-rounder in the IPL and Vijay Hazare tournament was given a chance in the first 2 matches. But in the first match, not a single ball was thrown. He conceded 28 runs in 5 overs in the second ODI. He was not included in the team for the third ODI.
Shreyas Iyer, who could not find the rhythm in batting, was made an all-rounder in the third ODI. That too did not work. Many are arguing that Venkatesh Iyer should have played all three matches to find players for next year’s ODI World Cup.
Bumra’s Depression
Jaspreet Bumra, India’s leading bowler in all three formats, is now plagued by the fatigue of consecutive matches. Bumrah opened up about it after the Twenty20 World Cup. Dravid has given the same task to Bumrah, who led India in three Tests against South Africa, and in ODIs.
Though it was thought that he would finally be allowed to rest in the unimportant third ODI, it did not happen. Concerns that non-stop matches could lead to injury could not be taken into account. Dravid decided to use Bumrah in the third match as the best bowlers, including Mohammad Siraj, were out.
English Summary: Coach Rahul Dravid’s Role in India’s Series Defeat at South Africa