The Indian team went through a massive overhaul after the 2021 World Cup as Rohit Sharma took over as the Indian skipper in all three formats of the game. With high expectations from the fans, Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma could not replicate the success of Ravi Shastri and Virat Kohli, especially in overseas conditions.
The strategies and tactics of Rahul Dravid came under the scanner following their team selections for the crunch games as they left Yuzvendra Chahal from playing 11 during T20 World Cup and Ravichandran Ashwin in the WTC final.
Team India has struggled with a spate of injuries in recent months, which include Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, and Prasidh Krishna, all of whom are expected to miss most of the 2023 cricket season. Here are five players whose careers were destroyed by Rahul Dravid.
1. Wriddhiman Saha
Wriddhiman Saha was unfortunately removed from the Test squad at the end of 2021 due to the emergence of young Rishabh Pant in red-ball cricket. The Indian veteran is probably the best gloveman behind the stumps in red-ball, as he produced some memorable performances for the Indian team over the years since the retirement of MS Dhoni in the longer format of the game.
With Many cricket experts feeling that Saha should have been the replacement for KL Rahul in the WTC final, India went with inexperienced KS Bharat and Ishan Kishan in the team. Saha has been part of the Tripura team in the Ranji Trophy 2022. In 3 matches, he has scored 231 runs at a fantastic average of 77 with 1 century and 1 fifty but could make it into the India squad for the one-off test.
2. Ishant Sharma
Ishant Sharma has fallen the pecking order since Shastri’s departure as the head coach. He has not played a Test for Team India since November 2021. The Indian veteran was overlooked in the Indian team as they trusted them to play some youngsters in the team with an eye to the future.
The 34-year-old was brought by Delhi Capitals for 50lakhs and made it into the team after their 5 consecutive loss in the league and made an impact straight away in the league picking up some crucial wickets for the team in the 2023 season. Overall, Ishant Sharma has represented India in 105 Tests, taking 311 wickets with age not on his side a comeback seems unlikely because India has a talented pool of pacers at the moment.
3. Ravi Bishnoi
Ravi Bishnoi was called up to the Indian side last year following impressive performances for Lucknow Super Giants In IPL 2022 but was out of the Indian team for T20 World Cup as the team went in with experienced Ravichandran Ashwin for the marquee event in Australia, as the veteran failed to produce any match-winning performance for the team in 2022 T20 World Cup.
Bishnoi has picked up 16 wickets in 10 T20I outings for the Indian team so far. The youngster has got lethal googly in his bowling and has been a consistent performer for India at junior levels, and he will look to do well for the Indian team in the future series.
4. Sarfaraz Khan
Sarfaraz Khan was one of the unluckiest cricketers in the Indian team despite performing well in domestic cricket. He has been one of the consistent performers for Mumbai, as he amassed 2970 runs from 26 matches (12 centuries, seven half-centuries) at an average of 106.07. In 36 first-class games, the 25-year-old has scored 3380 runs at an incredible average of 80.47.
The right-handed batter can be an option for the wicket-keeping spot in the coming years especially in red-ball cricket. Former Indian Cricketers Sunil Gavaskar and Venkatesh Prasad lambasted Indian selectors and team management over their treatment of the Mumbai batter. Though the youngster had a poor run in the IPL 2023, he can be a key player for the Indian team in the future.
5. Abimanyu Easwaran
Abhimanyu Easwaran has always been a part of the India ‘A’ and has been waiting a long time for his turn. The Right-handed batter has an impressive first-class record in domestic cricket he has accumulated 6556 runs in 87 matches at an average of 47.85 with 22 hundred to his name.
The 27-year-old has been a terrific performer for Bengal in domestic cricket and the previous tour of India A tour, He led India A during the tour of Bangladesh and has been a standout performer for the team scoring. 141 in the first game and 157 in the second game in away conditions, but was not given an opportunity in the Indian team at the highest level.