Rahul Dravid – Sportzoclock

Flashback to the IPL’s Inaugural Thrill: Baz’s Blazing Brilliance

Karan Brar — Wed, 06 Mar 2024 10:10:11 +0000

In a thrilling inaugural match, the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) clashed with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the iconic M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. Led by former Indian cricket captains Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly, the encounter promised fireworks from the get-go.

As the Indian Premier League (IPL) embarked on its maiden journey, the anticipation among fans was palpable. Despite the novelty of T20 cricket, Indian audiences were no strangers to the format, having savored India’s triumph in the inaugural ICC World T20 just months prior.

With a dazzling opening ceremony behind them, the clock struck 8:00 PM IST, signaling the commencement of action. Pacer Praveen Kumar etched his name in history by delivering the tournament’s inaugural ball to none other than Ganguly himself.

However, it was Brendon McCullum who truly stole the show, decimating the RCB bowling lineup in the latter half of the innings. The future New Zealand captain’s remarkable knock saw him amass an unbeaten 158 runs, featuring an onslaught of 10 boundaries and 13 towering sixes—a T20 record at the time.

McCullum’s monumental innings not only set the tone for the IPL but also etched his name in the annals of cricketing history. The sheer dominance of his performance is evident when comparing it to the rest of the scorecard, with the second-highest individual score in the match a mere 20 runs. In response, RCB faltered, succumbing to KKR’s bowling prowess and managing a meager total of 82 runs.

The reverberations of McCullum’s blitzkrieg reverberated for years to come, as no KKR batter managed to replicate his century for nearly 15 years in the tournament. Beyond the records, his innings provided the IPL with an electrifying start, laying the foundation for its evolution into the colossal sporting spectacle it is today.

Exclusive: Rahul Dravid appointed as the Indian team’s Head Coach once again for 2 years

Karan Brar — Wed, 29 Nov 2023 18:42:27 +0000

The BCCI announced Rahul Dravid as Indian Team’s head coach once again as he got his contract renewed by the BCCI. Dravid’s contract concluded after the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. Dravid’s next goal is to lead the team in India’s tour of South Africa.

There were many rumours that Dravid doesn’t want to get his contract renewed and VVS Laxman is next in line with Ashish Nehra. The BCCI and Rahul Dravid cleared the air and gave an official statement regarding the same.

The BCCI gave an official statement while announcing Rahul Dravid as the head coach and said,”The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announces the extension of contracts for Head Coach Mr. Rahul Dravid and the Support Staff of Team India (Senior Men). The BCCI engaged in productive discussions with Mr. Rahul Dravid after the term of his contract ended following the recently concluded ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 and unanimously agreed to further the tenure.”

VVS Laxman to replace Rahul Dravid as head coach for the Indian Team: Sources

“The Board acknowledges Mr. Dravid’s instrumental role in moulding the Indian Team and commends his exceptional professionalism. The Board also appreciates Mr. VVS Laxman for his exemplary roles as Head of NCA and as the stand-in Head Coach. Similar to their legendary on-field partnerships, Mr. Dravid and Mr. Laxman have worked closely in driving Indian Cricket forward.”

Rahul Dravid on being appointed as Head Coach for Indian Team

“The last two years with Team India have been thoroughly memorable. Together, we have witnessed the highs and lows, and throughout this journey, the support and camaraderie within the group have been phenomenal. I am genuinely proud of the culture we have set in the dressing room. It’s a culture that stands resilient, whether in moments of triumph or adversity. The skills and talent that our team possesses are phenomenal, and what we’ve stressed is following the right process and sticking to our preparations, which has had a direct impact on the overall result.”

“I thank the BCCI and the Office Bearers for placing their trust in me, endorsing my vision, and providing support during this period. The demands of this role necessitate considerable time away from home, and I deeply appreciate my family’s sacrifices and support. Their instrumental role behind the scenes has been invaluable. As we embrace new challenges post the World Cup, we remain committed to the pursuit of excellence”, Rahul Dravid said in a statement.

VVS Laxman to replace Rahul Dravid as head coach for the Indian Team: Sources

Karan Brar — Thu, 23 Nov 2023 14:31:58 +0000

Rahul Dravid’s contract as the all-format head coach for the Indian cricket team ended after World Cup 2023. India remained the only team to be unbeaten in the tournament with 10 wins before losing the final match and the final game to Australia.

Multiple reports have recently claimed that Dravid isn’t looking forward to getting his contract renewed once again by the BCCI and wants to get back coaching at the NCA. Close sources have also revealed that VVS Laxman is interested to replace Rahul Dravid and will also be leading the side against Australia in the upcoming 5 T20Is series.

Rahul Dravid’s performance as India’s head coach

Ups

Making India the No. 1 team in both Tests and ODIs

Winning the Asia Cup 2023 in Sri Lanka after defeating the host nation and defending champions

Masterminding India’s Test series win against Australia at home earlier this year

Shubman Gill became the player that he is under Dravid

Helped Virat Kohli rediscover his magical batting form

Meticulous planning ahead of the ODI World Cup, forging a near perfect plan of attacking cricket with Rohit Sharma

Downs

Loss in the South Africa Test series away from home after taking a 1-0 lead

Semifinal defeat in the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia

Loss in the World Test Championship final to Australia

Loss in the ODI World Cup final to Australia

WC 2023: Australia defeats India to win the 6th ICC Cricket World Cup Title

Will VVS Laxman become the new head coach for India?

As per reports presented by a close source of the BCCI, “Laxman has expressed his keenness for the job. During the World Cup, Laxman travelled to Ahmedabad to meet the BCCI’s top bosses in this regard. He’s likely to sign a long-time contract as the Team India coach, and will certainly travel with the team in that capacity for the upcoming tour of South Africa, which will be his first as full-time India head coach.”

“Dravid has communicated to the BCCI that he isn’t keen to continue as a full-time coach. For close to 20 years, he has travelled with the Indian team as a player, and for the past couple of years, he again went through the same grind, which he doesn’t want to undergo.”

“He’s fine with a role at the NCA as the head there (a role he previously served in), which will allow him to stay back in his hometown Bengaluru. Like earlier, he’s fine with coaching the team sporadically, but not again as a full-time coach,” the reports said.

Rahul Dravid on India’s pressures and upcoming challenges against New Zealand in ICC Cricket World Cup 2023

Karan Brar — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 08:03:33 +0000

Rahul Dravid recently opined about the pressure conditions for the Indian team ahead of the semifinals of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 against New Zealand. India will face New Zealand for the 1st semi-final match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on 15 November.

Dravid believes that there is no guarantee that a team will win a match or not be it any opponent, and the victory relies on preparation the team has done along with the performance on field. Dravid talked to Star Sports after India defeated Netherlands by 160 runs in the last league match of the tournament.

Rahul Dravid on India’s upcoming challenges in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023

“I would be in-authentic if I say that there will be no pressure in the semi-final. You have no guarantees to win any game of cricket. What you can do is prepare the best you can and we’ve been doing that. When it’s going well it looks good. One loss and everyone says you don’t know anything,” said Rahul Dravid.

Ben Stokes doubtful to continue to play ODIs after England’s poor performance in ICC Cricket World Cup 2023?

“Shreyas Iyer is the backbone of our middle order, and we all know how tough it has been for us to find a good No. 4 batter for the last 10 years. Very pleased at how we’ve played in these nine games. Very clinical from game one to today”, he added.

Shocking! Sourav Ganguly forced Rohit Sharma to become the captain of the Indian Team against his will

Karan Brar — Fri, 10 Nov 2023 06:30:32 +0000

Former BCCI president Sourav Ganguly recently revealed shocking truths about the Indian team’s captaincy. Ganguly’s revelations have shocked everyone and has even raised a lot of questions on the ethical behaviour of the former president with the players. According to Sourav Ganguly, Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid were hesitant to be declared as the captain and head coach of the Indian team.

Sourav recently revealed that Rohit Sharma was not interested in being the captain of the Indian cricket team after Virat Kohli was removed from the captaincy of the white ball Cricket as he initially resigned from the test captaincy after India’s tour of South Africa.

Sourav Ganguly on Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid decision of representing India on the global stage

Ganguly talked to our local Kolkata news channel and said that he forced Rohit Sharma to be the captain of the Indian team and gave him a few hours as the deadline to accept the decision. He also discussed that Rahul Dravid was also not interested in joining the position of the head coach of the team.
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“Rohit [Sharma] didn’t want the captaincy because there was a lot of pressure on playing all formats – it had gone to a stage where I told him you have to say yes or I will announce your name. I am happy he has taken it now he is leading from the front and you guys can check the results,” said Sourav Ganguly.

“It’s a lot of time on the road. [He has a] young family, two young boys, plus he has played all his life. So, it’s not easy coaching, being on the road all the time. But he agreed, thinking about Indian cricket and I hope he will continue in the future because a coach needs to be given time. It is not magic that he will change his team in three, four, or five months. He needs to be given minimum time,” he added.