Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh has made a shocking suggestion of removing current head coach Rahul Dravid from his position following the Men in Blue's exit from the T20 World Cup at the semifinal stage.
Since Rohit Sharma's men were bulldozed by England in their semifinal clash at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday, criticism of Rahul Dravid's tactics and his choice of players for the tournament has been growing and among the firsts to call for his sacking is Harbhajan Singh.
According to Harbhajan Singh, Rahul Dravid is not someone who has played the shortest format of the game for a long time and he doesn't appear to have a vision for India's T20 side. That's why he should be replaced with a coach who has tasted success in T20s, someone who knows how to get the best out of his players.
Harbhajan Singh even suggested names for both a new coach and the captain of the Indian cricket team. He reckons that Hardik Pandya and Ashish Nehra should be appointed skipper and coach immediately so that the duo has enough time to prepare for the next T20 World Cup which would be played in the West Indies and USA in 2024.
India's T20 World Cup campaign came to an end on Thursday after Jos Buttler and his boys gave them a hammering, cruising through to a comfortable 10-wicket triumph in batting-friendly conditions in Adelaide.
After India posted 168/6 on the board with the help of half-centuries from Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya, England's openers Jos Buttler and Alex Hales took the Indian bowlers apart, completing the run chase in just 16 overs. While Jos Buttler remained unbeaten on 80, Alex Hales remained not out on 86.
“It's not just about the captain. You should bring someone who has just retired. Someone who understands T20 format. With all due respect to Rahul Dravid, he has been my colleague, I've played a lot of cricket with him, he is a great brain. If you don't want to remove him as T20 head coach then help him,” Harbhajan told India Today.
“Bring someone who has just retired, someone like Ashish Nehra, who has got a great cricketing brain. Look what he has done at Gujarat Titans as a coach. I don't mean just Ashish, it can be anyone who knows this format,” Harbhajan Singh added.
“It will also encourage the young guys with what Ashish will bring into the team. It could also be anyone, who just retired. For captaincy, Hardik Pandya is my choice. There is no better choice. He is the best player in the team and you need more people like him in the team,” Harbhajan Singh signed off.
Before Harbhajan Singh's criticism, Rahul Dravid came under fire for his remarks about Indian players featuring in T20 leagues outside their country, including Australia's Big Bash.
“I mean, sure, there's no doubt about it, the fact that England… a lot of their players have come here and played in this tournament and it certainly showed. It's tough. I think it's very difficult for Indian cricket because a lot of these tournaments happen right at the peak of our season. I think it's a huge challenge for us. Yes, I think a lot of our boys maybe do miss out on the opportunities of playing in a lot of these leagues, but if you were to… it's really up to the BCCI to make that decision, but the thing is it's right in the middle of our season, and with the kind of demand there would be for Indian players,” Rahul Dravid had said.
“If you allowed all the Indian players to play in these leagues, we would not have a domestic cricket. Our domestic cricket, our Ranji Trophy, would be finished, and that would mean Test cricket would be finished,” he further said.
Days after Rahul Dravid voiced his opinion against sending Indian cricketers to participate in the overseas leagues, Alex Hales, the England opener whose unbeaten 86-run-knock led to India's ouster from the T20 World Cup, shared his views on the matter.
According to Alex Hales, Indian players should play in foreign leagues around the world to gain valuable experience there.
“It's a shame that Indian guys don't get a chance to play in different leagues. It would be good for everyone, benefit them and benefit the leagues to have the best players in the world playing. [Adelaide] is a ground where I've played a lot of cricket in the past and enjoyed some success. To have that sort of mindset before you head out there on a big occasion probably settles the nerves a bit and gives you confidence that you can put on a performance like that,” Alex Hales said in a conversation with Australian media outlet Sydney Morning Herald.
“Anytime you get the chance to play in foreign conditions makes you a better cricketer and makes you understand those conditions. Hopefully going forward, they get a chance to play in different leagues. It's definitely helped me, for sure,” he asserted.
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