'Almost forgot that I was a cricketer': Rahul Dravid on acclimatizing to the role of coach

As Rohit Sharma's team prepares to take on Australia on October 8, Rahul Dravid is gearing up for his first ODI World Cup as a coach. This will be Dravid's second ICC competition in charge of the senior team; last year, the Dravid-Rohit combination led India to a T20 World Cup semifinal, where the team exited following a 10-wicket loss against England.

3 things you need to know

• ICC ODI World Cup 2023 started on October 5, 2023
• New Zealand defeated defending champions England in the World Cup 2023 opener
• India will take on Australia on October 8, 2023

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Rahul Dravid endured his fare share of challenges

Rahul Dravid endured his share of difficulties as a leader, with the 2007 ODI World Cup remaining a glaring stain on his resume. India was humiliated by being eliminated from the competition in the group stage after suffering losses to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Since the disappointing performance at the World Cup more than 16 years ago, it appears that Dravid has moved past those trying times.

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Opens up on the coaching stint with Team India

Long after he retired from the sport, Dravid took on a new position as head coach, focusing solely on leading India to World Cup success. He acknowledged that he had "forgotten" what it was like to play the game. “It's a long time since I was a player. I almost forgot that I was actually a cricket player at one stage to be very honest with you,” Dravid said in a press conference ahead of India's opener against Australia.

“I have moved on from that. I don't think of myself as a player anymore. Maybe that's the mind-space difference... I'm focussed on helping the group to do the best they can. I mean in the end that's the job of the support staff, the job of the coach really is to support the vision of the captain and help him execute his vision over the course of the next couple of months and hope we can do that really well.”

Dravid further lays out what is the primary need of a coach, “Yeah... I mean I guess you recognise as a coach that once the game starts, once the guys cross the line, there is only so much you can do.

“As coaches, we don't score a single run or take a single wicket in the tournament. All we can do is really support the players.”