'You’ve Got to Give Him a Fair Opportunity': Rahul Dravid Gets Graeme Smith’s Support After Disappointing WTC Final Loss

India’s disappointing outing in the World Test Championship (WTC) final has put the team management under the scanner. Many have even blamed coach Rahul Dravid for the team’s inability to rise on big occasions. Amidst the criticism, former South African skipper Graeme Smith has come in support of Dravid, suggesting that it would still be a very premature stage to be passing verdicts on the cricketing legend’s performance as a coach.

“When you get involved in a leadership role in Indian cricket, the expectation is something that you are going to have to come to terms with,” Graeme Smith said in an interview with Times of India.

Smith added that the Indian Cricket Team is currently brimming with enough talent to put together two or three teams. He emphasised that Rahul Dravid will have to take some big decisions coming in the near future and that would decide how things move forward.

“He’s a quality man and a quality performer. He’s shown it right through as a coach. So, you’ve got to give him a fair opportunity now to kind of rebuild India,” Smith continued.

Rahul Dravid assumed the role of the Head Coach after Ravi Shastri’s tenure ended following the 2021 T20 World Cup. Although he made a good start as a coach, there have been several disappointing tournament runs since, including the T20 World Cup last year and the World Test Championship (WTC) final. While Rahul Dravid’s coaching team faced intense criticism for questionable player choices for the playing XI, batters including Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara and Shubhman Gill also failed to deliver on the biggest stage.

“One of the biggest challenges of a captain is your own performance. The pressure of a leader never goes away,” Smith said while commenting on the slump in Rohit Sharma’s form.

The former South African skipper believed that if Rohit Sharma manages to get going, it will take pressure away from the team as well. Rahul Dravid is likely to continue as Team India’s head coach till the World Cup this year, after which his contract expires. Dravid will be eyeing to finish off his stint with an end to India’s drought in ICC tournaments.