Shikhar Dhawan, the new Indian skipper for the tour of Sri Lanka, opined on the coaching techniques of Rahul Dravid and Ravi Shastri. Even as Rahul Dravid is with one national team for the upcoming ODI and T20I series in Lanka, Ravi Shastri is currently gearing up with Virat Kohli-led India for the five-match Test series against England.
Speaking on the differences, Shikhar Dhawan said that while Rahul Dravid is calm and composed, Ravi Shastri is a bit on the aggressive side. While accepting that he has enjoyed playing under both, he mentioned that both have their own set of skills to motivate the players.
Shikhar Dhawan: Ravi Shastri’s Energy Is Strong Whereas Rahul Dravid Is Very Calm And Composed
Ever since the BCCI appointed Rahul Dravid as the head coach for the Sri Lanka tour, speculations are rife that the former Indian captain is set to take over from Ravi Shastri as soon as his tenure ends, after the T20 World Cup this year in the UAE.
“They (Dravid and Shastri) both have their own qualities and they both are very positive people. I have spent time with Ravi Bhai (Ravi Shastri) and their ways to motivate are different,” Dhawan was quoted as saying during a press conference on Saturday.
“Ravi Bhai’s energy is a bit strong, whereas Rahul Bhai (Rahul Dravid) is very calm, composed, and strong as well, so everyone has their own way and I enjoy playing under both of them,” he stated.
Under Ravi Shastri, India had reasonable success across formats but hasn’t ended their 8-year-long ICC-title drought. Hence, it is believed that Rahul Dravid will be the ideal replacement, who guided India U-19 to the World Cup triumph in early 2018.
After his international retirement, Rahul Dravid served as the head coach of the U-19 and India A side from 2016-2019 before taking over his current role as the head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA), Bengaluru.
Shikhar Dhawan Shares Good Relation With Rahul Dravid
Earlier, Shikhar Dhawan had said that he shares a cordial relationship with Rahul Dravid. The southpaw went down memory lane and recalled the time when he played in the Ranji Trophy alongside ‘The Wall’ of Indian cricket.
“I have a good relation with Rahul Bhai. When I started playing Ranji Trophy, I played against him, and I have known him since then. When I went to play India A match, I was the Captain, and he was the coach, so there was interaction. When he became the Director of NCA, we used to go there for around 20 days, so we had a lot of interaction,” Dhawan had said.
Rahul Dravid has garnered loads of laurels in his coaching stint with Team India. In 2018, India, led by Prithvi Shaw, won the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand under Rahul Dravid’s tutelage. The upcoming ODI series against Sri Lanka is set to start on Sunday, July 18 at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. The three 50-over matches will be followed by as many T20I games at the same venue.