Former India head coach Rahul Dravid believes there is a need for heroes even in a team game. Dravid says that with the legend of superstar tag, players face a lot of scrutiny if they don't do well. Unlike current head coach Gautam Gambhir, Dravid is of opinion that the tag of superstar comes on the back of performances and there's nothing wrong with that.
“Any sport needs its heroes, and I don’t think people become heroes without performances. You can’t capture the imagination of a nation if you don’t deliver on the field, especially in India, where you get a lot of praise for what you do, but also a lot of brickbats. There’s a lot of scrutiny and constant focus on you. So to become a legend or a superstar in India means you’ve done a lot of things right, and in the process, you’ve also helped your team win,” Dravid told Wisden on the Scoop podcast.
Gambhir has often focused on team first attitude. In press interactions, he has often distanced himself from talking about one individual who has stood out and tried to focus on others. He also says personal milestones don’t matter in his team.
Dravid on legendary trio’s absence from Test side
Dravid was also asked about Team India’s current red-ball side which is currently in mid table for the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 final race. The legendary batter said that the retirement of senior players Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin has had an effect as it is not easy to replace players of that calibre. He hopes that India are able to turn the tables and qualify for their third WTC final.
“The passion to do well in red-ball cricket is definitely there. We’ve had a couple of series where we haven’t performed as well as an Indian team, and that can happen. We are also missing a few key players, with some of the big names having recently retired – Rohit, Virat and Ashwin – and it is not easy to replace players like that. But Indian cricket remains very strong. I still believe the Indian team will be competitive in every format it plays. It may take a little time, but hopefully this season we will be able to turn things around,” said the 53-year-old.
India’s Test schedule for remaining WTC 2025-27
Currently, Shubman Gill-led India are placed fifth on the points table with 48.15 win percentage. After the IPL 2026, they will play a one-off Test against Afghanistan which is not part of the current WTC cycle. After that they will play a two-Test series against Sri Lanka. Then, they head to New Zealand for a two-Test series. Next year, they host Australia for Border-Gavaskar Trophy.