Former India head coach Rahul Dravid made a surprise appearance at India’s training session on Sunday, ahead of the three-match Test series against New Zealand in Bengaluru. Dravid, who famously led the team to their historic T20 World Cup victory in 2024, was seen reconnecting with key players, including captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Rishabh Pant.
His visit was a nostalgic reminder of his impactful tenure as coach, generating excitement on social media as clips of their interactions quickly circulated. During the net session, Dravid displayed his characteristic calmness and strategic insight, engaging in lighthearted conversation and offering batting tips to the players as they prepared for the upcoming series.
Dravid stepped down as India’s head coach after the T20 World Cup and has now returned to the Indian Premier League (IPL) as head coach of the Rajasthan Royals. This role marks a return for him, as he previously played for and mentored the Royals, making a lasting impact during his time as Director of Cricket in 2015 and 2016. Fans are eager to see what he will bring to the franchise in this new chapter.
Meanwhile, Team India has begun well under Dravid’s successor, Gautam Gambhir. The squad achieved a strong 2-0 clean sweep in their recent Test series against Bangladesh and remains undefeated in T20Is, winning all six matches since Gambhir took over, with Suryakumar Yadav leading the charge as captain. However, the team faced challenges in ODIs, suffering a 0-2 series defeat to Sri Lanka in August.
