Dravid’s decision to accept role of India’s head coach surprises Ricky Ponting

Ponting further enumerated that he was approached by some people who were “hell-bent” to appoint him as the head coach of the Indian team.

Rahul Dravid’s coaching stint with the Indian senior team started on a good note as the Indian team completed a comprehensive 5 wicket victory over New Zealand in the 1st T20I. He took over as the coach after the T20 World Cup got over. India had a dismal performance in the tournament, especially against New Zealand in their group stage match, which resulted in their second consecutive tournament loss and virtually knocked them out of it. Hence, a victory in the first game of the 3 games bilateral series was vital for the team as well as the coach.

Coaching the senior Indian cricket team is a very tough task as it requires a lot of effort on the part of the man responsible. Keeping this in mind, former Australian Captain and current coach of Delhi Capitals, Ricky Ponting, expressed his skepticism over Dravid’s decision. Speaking on the Grade Cricket Podcast, Ponting said, “Actually, I’m surprised that Dravid has taken it up (coaching role) as well. There was a lot of chat about how happy he was in the Under-19 role he had. I’m not sure about his family life, but I’m sure he has got young kids. So I’m surprised that he took it, but as I said, the people I spoke to were sure they got the right person…” reports ANI.

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Ponting further enumerated that he was approached by some people who were “hell-bent” to appoint him as the head coach of the Indian team. But Pointing turned it down, citing that he couldn’t make time for that. Also, he did not want to step down from his position at Delhi Capitals. It is noticeable that the IPL franchise of Delhi Capitals has made a significant inroad under Ponting’s command, and he wants to keep the good work going.