Coaching most satisfying since retirement: Dravid

Gaurav Gupta
The Times of India
05 January 2016

Mumbai: Less than a month from now, Rahul Dravid faces the first big exam of his nascent coaching career when the next edition of the Under-19 World Cup kicks off in Bangladesh. However, the batting legend doesn't seem to be too nervous. It's not so much the result but the growth of a player which matters at this stage of a cricketer's life, the new India U-19 coach told TOI in an exclusive interview. Excerpts...

Tell us about your mentorship programme...
It started last year, with three athletes, and has now progressed to 19 (men, women and Paralympic athletes as well) across various disciplines, thanks to the Aditya Birla Financial group. It's about handholding these athletes at a sensitive, challenging and exciting time in their journey. It's not just about giving them financial support but support through soft skills, various experts (physiotherapy nutrition training, expert coaching), interaction with me and sharing experience and knowledge with me. It's hopefully an opportunity for them to move to the next level in their journey as young, aspiring athletes. Hopefully they'll be able to cross some of the hurdles they face at this stage, free their minds and c;reate the right environment to pursue their dreams which is about Olympic glory and winning medals.

How has your experience as a coach been so far?
It's been a great journey - fun, exciting, and enjoyable. Of all the things I've done since I retired two-three years ago, I think coaching has been the most satisfying. It gives me a chance to work in an environment that I'm comfortable in and also get to see what the next generation is like and what kind of talent is coming through.

Who're the most talented players in the India U-19 team?
Everyone in the U-19 team is talented. You don't become an India U-19 player in this kind of environment, with so much competition and so many kids playing the game without being talented. Each one of the 30 that was shortlisted at one point of time has great potential. Which one of them will go on to play for India is hard to tell, because this is the start of their journey. There are a lot of steps to be taken from here. Everyone will face challenges. They all have an equal chance to play for India and each of them is a talented and exciting player.

How good is India's chance to win the U-19 World Cup?
I'm not necessarily focusing so much on the result. We've played well in the two tournaments in the lead-up to the World-Cup, so yes, I’m relatively confident. However, it's about the process and hopefully about playing good cricket and learning. I think the process, the whole thing about U-19 cricket should be to learn, grow and improve as cricketers. If we keep doing that, and play well, we'll end up with the right kind of result.

The India-SA series triggered a debate about exploiting home advantage. How far should a team go?
A certain amount of home advantage is natural to this sport. That's the beauty about it. How much it should be or shouldn't is debatable. It's hard to decide how much is right. Pitch making is not exactly science, so there's always a challenge to it.