Coach Rahul Dravid’s SENA CV: Five consecutive defeats in six Tests in England and South Africa | Cricket News

Having taken over as India’s head coach in November 2021, Rahul Dravid’s first away tour was to South Africa. Since then India have featured in five Tests in South Africa and England and have lost five on the trot, winning just one. The Indian Express takes a look…
Perfect start turns sombre with twin losses, 2021-22
Having won two Tests each during their previous tours of Australia and England, there were hopes of India winning their maiden series win in South Africa. Giving all the more hope, India started off with a win at Centurion. But with all the talks of change in captaincy going around, India came up with disappointing performances at Johannesburg and Cape Town. Despite winning the toss in both these matches, a full-strength India failed to click as a unit with the batting unit unable to cross the 300-run mark. Similarly, the pacers lacked the bite they showed in previous away tours as South Africa chased 200-plus targets in challenging conditions with ease. At the end of the series, Kohli stepped aside as Test captain as well.
No answer to Bazball, 2022
With a 2-1 series lead to preserve in a Test that was postponed a year at Edgbaston, India got a feel of what Bazball approach looks like. Having already watched what Bazball did to New Zealand, it was a game where India got it wrong on the tactics board. Instead of tweaking the combination, India went with the same four-seamer strategy that worked for them the previous summer on a dry Edgbaston surface. And despite Rishabh Pant’s 146 off just 111 balls and Ravindra Jadeja’s 104 and taking a first innings lead of 132 runs, the batting unit made only 245, setting the hosts 378 to win. And with seamers not finding any purchase off the track, England coasted home six wickets with Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow scoring centuries. It was a game that India lost on the bowling front.

Outplayed Aussies, 2023
Having made their second successive World Test Championship final in England, even in Jasprit Bumrah’s absence India had a good chance to win. But, having decided to play four seamers a couple of days before the final, it was a classic case of India not reading the conditions and playing the wrong combination once again. Despite Australia having four left-handers in the top 7, India benched R Ashwin and went in ahead with Umesh Yadav and Shardul Thakur – a move that was criticised Sachin Tendulkar as well – as Australia put 469 on board in the first innings and from there on there was only going to be one winner. It was yet another game where India were criticised for their defensive approach with the ball, which was in stark contrast to what they were during the Kohli-Shastri era.
Apt surrender at Centurion,2023
The latest defeat in South Africa on Thursday was perhaps the worst away Test that India have played in recent memory. Having not played any long format cricket since the tour of Caribbean in July, India looked undercooked in every front. Having chosen to give rest to key players during the limited-overs leg after the World Cup campaign, with a lot at stake, there are questions as to whether India missed a trick not sending them earlier to get acclimatised to the conditions. India did play an intra-squad practice game, but it didn’t seem enough as the conditions are understood to have been on the slower side. If batsmen were guilty of not showing enough application, nothing disappointed more than the performance of the bowling unit. On a pitch where the hosts’ pacers ran through India’s batting unit, India’s fast bowlers were way off the mark.
(Note: Under Dravid’s coaching, India have also featured in four Tests in Bangladesh and West Indies and have won all).