Rahul Dravid Said, "It Was A Really Big Opportunity For Us To Win That Series"

Rahul Dravid said goodbye to his international career by winning the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 as the head coach of the Indian national cricket team. Under Dravid's tenure, the Indian team performed brilliantly, reaching back-to-back finals of the ICC event in 2023 and 2024. He joined when Men in Blue suffered an early exit from the T20 World Cup 2021. Apart from ICC events, he helped them to win in events like the Asia Cup as well.

However, when he was called upon to pick one of the lowest times in his coaching career he said that the 2023 World Cup defeat to Australia was not his lowest point as India's head coach. The India legend said that the Test series defeat against South Africa in 2021, when India won the first red-ball game and were on the cusp of winning their first-ever series against the Proteas in South Africa, but went on to lose two straight games. 

“If you ask me what is the lowest point, I would say the South Africa Test series early on in my career. We won the first Test match in South Africa in Centurion, and then we played in the second and third Test matches. We have never won a series in South Africa, as you know. It was a really big opportunity for us to win that series. Some of our senior players were not there. Rohit Sharma was injured, and we didn’t have some senior players in that series. But we were very close, and in both the Test matches—the second and the third test matches—in the third inning, we had a big opportunity. We could have set a decent score and won the game, but South Africa played well. They chased back in in the fourth inning. So I would say that that was probably my lowest point in my coaching of not being able to win that series despite being ahead."

Nevertheless, Dravid has not hinted at his next venture, but there are reports that he might return to Rajasthan Royals as their head coach.