Cricket

Rahul Dravid, the former India coach and captain, recently shared his thoughts on his coaching career and the challenges of the game at the CEAT awards. Dravid, who guided India to victory in the T20 World Cup earlier this year, reflected on the highs and lows of his tenure."The beauty of this game is that you are failing a lot more than you are succeeding," Dravid said. "But that's what makes it so much more fun, so much more enjoyable."Dravid's tenure as coach was marked by both success and disappointment. India reached the final of the World Test Championship and the ODI World Cup but lost both to Australia. However, they managed to bring home the T20 World Cup, defeating South Africa in a thrilling final."When you have moments like that, I try and avoid showing that to my children, thinking I've gone mad or something," Dravid said of his emotions after winning the T20 World Cup. "But I have been always telling the boys that we have got to maintain our balance, we've got to remain cool and not go up and down with the results."Dravid also spoke about the challenges of coaching a team at the highest level. "You are constantly under scrutiny," he said. "You are constantly being judged. But that's part of the job. You have to be able to handle that pressure."Despite the challenges, Dravid said he enjoyed his time as coach. "It was a great experience," he said. "I learned a lot. I grew a lot. And I made some lifelong friends."Dravid is now looking forward to the next chapter in his career. He has not yet announced his plans, but he said he is open to new opportunities. "I'm not sure what the future holds," he said. "But I'm excited to find out."

Gautam Gambhir's potential appointment as India's head coach has sparked speculation about the future of Shreyas Iyer's international career. Iyer, who led Kolkata Knight Riders to IPL glory, could be in line for a recall to the national team for the upcoming ODI series against Sri Lanka in July-August.Gambhir, who mentored Iyer at KKR, is considered a strong contender for the India coach position. Under his guidance, Iyer flourished as a 50-over batter, amassing over 500 runs in the World Cup and averaging close to 50.Despite being dropped from BCCI's central contracts due to his absence from the Ranji Trophy, Iyer has maintained that a lower back injury prevented him from playing. However, his impressive performances in the IPL have kept him in contention for a national team recall.Sources within the BCCI have indicated that Iyer is not currently training at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, where young players are preparing for the T20I series against Zimbabwe. However, they believe that he has a strong chance of being selected for the ODI series against Sri Lanka.With senior players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Jasprit Bumrah expected to focus on ODIs and Tests, the T20I series against Zimbabwe could provide opportunities for new faces. IPL stars like Rinku Singh, Shubman Gill, Avesh Khan, and Khaleel Ahmed are likely to be included in the squad.If Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav are not rested, they are expected to be named captain and vice-captain for the Zimbabwe tour. Both players have been in impressive form since the start of the IPL.