IPL teams miss a trick by not involving more Indian coaches, reckons Rahul Dravid

Rahul Dravid, the former Indian cricketer, has stressed the importance of having more Indian coaches in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The cash-rich T20 league has been a witness to a number of foreign coaches- Stephen Fleming, Trevor Bayliss and many others- succeed. But very Indian names have been given the role and that’s where Dravid feels the IPL teams are missing a trick.

Dravid, who is the current director of the NCA, feels that the Indian coaches can contribute much more owing to their local knowledge. As per Dravid, the local players in the IPL teams can benefit a lot by rubbing shoulders with them. Dravid is a tad dejected that Indian coaches aren’t looked at for a role in what’s deemed as one of the most popular T20 leagues around the globe.

Indian coaches understand and know the system, feels Rahul Dravid

“It does sometimes disappoint me when a lot of our boys don’t get opportunities as assistant coaches in IPL. Honestly, there are so many Indian players in the IPL, there’s so much of local knowledge [among our coaches]. I feel a lot of teams could actually benefit from using a lot of our Indian coaches in the IPL,” Dravid was quoted as saying in Sportstar.

“It’s not for me to decide for franchises and head coaches what they do, but I think they miss a trick by not involving more Indian coaches. Indian coaches understand and know the system, and they know a lot of Indian players. Every IPL team has at least 17-18 Indian players,” he stated.

“It’s my personal view, but I would love to see a lot of our boys get the opportunity to be in and around that environment. Hopefully we can work with some teams to try and ensure that,” Dravid added. The Wall of Indian cricket himself has had stints as coach for the Rajasthan Royals and the Delhi Daredevils, now known as the Capitals.

Apart from the coaching role, Dravid also spoke about the current bunch of Indian fast bowlers. Dravid exemplified how the likes of Shivam Mavi, Ishan Porel and Kamlesh Nagarkoti shone in the 2018 U19 World Cup in New Zealand. Moreover, he said some talented quickies will be on show in the upcoming edition of the tournament in South Africa.

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