'Was a really big opportunity for us to win' - Rahul Dravid recalls lowest point of his India coaching career

Even after Team India became a cricketing powerhouse in the past few years, a Test series victory in the South African nation remains an elusive dream. For former head coach Rahul Dravid, this ambition stands as the most disappointing part of his coaching tenure.

Appointed as India's head coach in November 2021, Dravid's first major assignment was the tour of South Africa. The series began with a high as India clinched a historic victory in Centurion, increasing hopes of a maiden series win. However, what followed was a heartbreaking turnaround as the visitors lost the series 2-1. Reflecting on the series, Dravid shared his disappointment.

“If you ask me what is the lowest point, I would say that the South Africa Test series early on in my career. We won the first Test match in South Africa in Centurion, and then we played in the second and third Test matches. We have never won a series in South Africa, as you know. It was a really big opportunity for us to win that series. Some of our senior players were not there,” Dravid told Star Sports.

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We didn’t have some senior players in that series: Rahul Dravid

The absence of key players, including Rohit Sharma, added to the challenge. Yet, Rahul Dravid believed the team had the firepower to overcome these hurdles. The second Test saw KL Rahul stepping in as captain due to Virat Kohli's one-match ban for a slow over-rate.

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Despite setting a target of 240, the Rainbow Nation chased it down. The final Test gave a similar heartbreak, with the hosts successfully chasing 212 to clinch the series. Hence the former Indian head coach felt that the team missed a trick in keeping control of the games even after being ahead of the hosts in the Test matches.

“Rohit Sharma was injured, and we didn’t have some senior players in that series. But we were very close, and in both the Test matches—the second and the third test matches—in the third innings, we had a big opportunity,” he added.

"We could have set a decent score and won the game, but South Africa played well. They chased back in the fourth innings. So I would say that that was probably my lowest point in my coaching of not being able to win that series in spite of being ahead," Dravid concluded.