Rahul Dravid, Rishabh Pant, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
Rahul Dravid, Rishabh Pant, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Image Credit: X

The former Indian head coach Rahul Dravid has made his return to the Indian team as he catches up with the veterans Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Rishabh Pant ahead of the opening Test of the three-match series against New Zealand at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

Rahul Dravid had a successful period in the coaching stint of the Blue Brigade, as under him, India became the runners-up of the ODI World Cup 2023 at home after being unbeaten throughout the entire tournament and losing only the final against Australia at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

The former Indian wicket-keeper batter, however, ended spectacularly, winning the T20 World Cup 2024 in the United States of America and the West Indies, where they got the better of the Proteas in the final at the Kensington Oval in Barbados to end their ICC trophy drought of 11 years. All the players and the coach himself had grown a strong bond between them.

Watch: Rahul Dravid catches up with Indian players during practice session

Having been from Karnataka, the veteran decided to drop down for the practice session of the Indian side. He had a light and funny chat with the batters besides seemingly giving a few tips on the batting to the current wicket-keeper of the Blue Brigade, Rishabh Pant, who is coming into the series on the back of his comeback Test century in Chennai.

Also Read: Rahul Dravid Refused Blank Cheque To Join Rajasthan Royals In IPL 2025? Report Drops Bombshell

Rahul Dravid was appointed as the head coach of the side in November 2021, when they were kicked out of the group stage of the 2021 T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the stint of Ravi Shastri ended with disappointment.

In the red-ball format, winning the series in South Africa was always on the bucket list, and it remains the same. They had a good start during the opening Test match at the SuperSport Park in Centurion but couldn’t hold their nerve for a little longer. For the second Test match at the Newlands in Cape Town, they made a strong start with the ball and carried the same momentum into the winning position.

However, they made their second consecutive final in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 and faced the Pat Cummins-led side at the Kennington Oval in South London and went on to lose that also.

Rahul Dravid cracked a joke at the end of the T20 World Cup 2024 in Barbados, where he mentioned being unemployed by the end of the tournament.

“I will be able to move on quickly from this win, next week I will be unemployed. I don’t want to think too far ahead, but yes, I hope, I will be able to move on. I think that’s what life is all about.” The veteran expressed at the end of the competition.

Also Read: Rahul Dravid Brings Vikram Rathour To Rajasthan Royals Coaching Staff Ahead Of IPL 2025- Report

On the other hand, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were coming on the back of their famous victory at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur against Bangladesh to register a 2-0 series victory. That particular Test match displayed how this Indian team could easily accelerate and change the momentum of the game quite comfortably.

They recorded a series victory over the Najmul Hossain Shanto-led side to find themselves at the top of the table in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25. Their next challenge is to win these three red-ball games against New Zealand and book a spot for the third successive final.