Former India cricketer turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra wants the new head coach of the Indian team, Rahul Dravid to look after the team’s pressure-handling woes in ICC events and knockout matches as well. While speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra opined on India’s continuous failures in knockout matches since 2013.
He said, “coming second is no longer an option.” He further added that Rahul Dravid will have to create a team culture where everyone could express themselves well even if it is a knockout match.
Can Rahul Dravid lead India to win an ICC trophy? pic.twitter.com/SLDdtbyvsM
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Speaking on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra said:
“Let’s try and address the elephant in the room… which is that we don’t win ICC knockout matches. Since the 2013 Champions Trophy, we have always lost in knockout matches. So there’s something that needs to be changed, right? Our main players don’t perform in these games so is there something lacking? That’s something he will have to address because coming second is no longer an option.”
“The kind of team we have it’s not far-fetched or unfair to expect them to win. So Rahul will have to create a culture where the team plays freely even in knockout matches. He will have to create such a philosophy where the type of match won’t alter the playing style,” Chopra added.
Notably, India are on the verge of getting out of the semi-final race in the ongoing T20 World Cup. They lost their first two games against Pakistan and New Zealand before registering a win against Afghanistan. Moreover, the captain Virat Kohli, too, had admitted their eight-wicket defeat to a “timid outing”.
Another challenge and job that Rahul Dravid will have to do will be to find new all-rounders – Aakash Chopra
However, Rahul Dravid will take the reins after the T20 World Cup and it will begin with a T20I series against New Zealand in November. Aakash Chopra feels Dravid will have to find new all-rounders who fit into the scheme of things.
“Another challenge and job that Rahul Dravid will have to do will be to find new all-rounders… You can’t get the current top-6 to bowl but the next generation that you are preparing right now, you’ll have to start picking such players in it… You might take a slightly inferior batsman if he can give you a few overs because then he’s a better package. Instead of a better batsman go for a better package. This revolution will have to come. You will have to start rewarding players with more than one skill. In T20 cricket, only batting or only bowling doesn’t work. If you have to win the 2023 World Cup, you’ll need all-rounders,” Aakash Chopra concluded.
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