‘The situation doesn’t allow it’: India coach Rahul Dravid ‘never happy’ after WTC Final 2023 defeat

A serial batting collapse in both innings ended India’s dream to end their ICC trophy drought, which has gone beyond 10 years now.

It was a poor display from the batters, where the big names failed to live up to the expectations. Players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Shubman Gill struggled whereas Cheteshwar Pujara also had a dismal outing despite a prolonged county stint before the WTC Final.

All players except Pujara came to England with less than two weeks remaining for the Final, and there are questions regarding their proper preparation. India coach Rahul Dravid was asked about the same after the defeat and Dravid says he is never content with preparations.

“I’m never going to be happy with the preparations as a coach. But that’s the reality I’m ready to accept, and we all have to accept. The schedules are so cramped and tight. These guys know… if you’re playing international cricket, and if you’re here 3 weeks before the tour, playing two side-games, you are going to be better prepared,” Dravid said to Star Sports after the match.

The Indian coach was clearly bemused with India’s preparation and said the team’s situation didn’t allow them to prepare in a better way. He indirectly took a dig at India’s schedule as a two-month IPL window hindered India’s preparation for Test matches and the transition period was just not enough.

“But we don’t have that. The situation doesn’t allow it. We have to make do with what we can. No excuses, no complaints, I just want to congratulate Australia on winning the final, they played better than us on all five days,” the frustrated Indian coach added.

“We just need to look at ourselves, see how we can get better, and what we can improve on,” he concluded.

This was India’s 4th straight defeat in an ICC Final. The last time the Indian team won an ICC senior tournament was back in 2013, when they won the Champions Trophy in England under the captaincy of MS Dhoni.