Former Indian team head coach Rahul Dravid has spoken about the selection headache regarding team combinations and maintaining balance within the team. The former captain said a head coach has to manage the environment, deal with selection issues and deal with the emotions around them.
Dravid has been India’s head coach in two World Cups. India dominated the 2023 World Cup on home soil, remaining undefeated until the final, where they missed out on the title. He ended his coaching tenure in style, leading India to World Cup glory in 2024, a fitting conclusion after the heartbreak of the previous campaign.
Sometimes not everyone will agree with you – Rahul Dravid
During his appearance on Breakfast with Champions, Rahul Dravid admitted that one of the most difficult aspects is explaining selection decisions to players who are left out, as not everyone will understand the reasoning.
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“Your job is really to manage that environment as best you can — to manage the environment and the selection and the issues around it,” Dravid said.
“The challenge is communicating with players when they are not selected, explaining to them why certain people are eliminated or why a particular combination is played. Not everyone will agree with you sometimes, and that is part of the job,” he added.
You just can’t make everyone happy – Rahul Dravid
Rahul Dravid said that sometimes there is no clear reason to exclude certain players. He recognized that even those who have been overlooked, like Ishan Kishan, are capable of achieving success if given a chance. However, difficult decisions are inevitable given the limited number of places available.
“Sometimes you don’t even have a strong enough explanation as to why someone isn’t selected. They might be quite good, but it turns out that someone else is just as good and performing, so you can’t change the team,” Rahul Dravid continued.
“If given the opportunity, those who are left out would probably do well too. But only eleven can play, or only six or five batsmen can fit in. In a country like India, where there is so much talent, I don’t envy the selectors or the head coaches who have to have these difficult conversations because the reality is you just can’t make everyone happy.”
Ishan Kishan removed from BCCI central contract list in 2024
Ishan Kishan was removed from the BCCI’s central contract list in early 2024 after skipping domestic matches despite clear instructions from the board. He and Shreyas Iyer were penalized for missing the final over of the Ranji Trophy.
After taking a break from cricket, Kishan returned during the IPL 2024 for Mumbai Indians. He went on to represent Jharkhand in domestic cricket and was reinstated in the 2025 Central Contract List in April.
The wicketkeeper-batsman has scored 933 runs in ODIs at an average of 42.40, including a double century. He has also accumulated 796 runs in T20Is with six fifties. Kishan was considered for India’s fifth Test against England following Rishabh Pant’s injury, but had to withdraw due to fitness concerns.
Also read: Pakistan gets T20 World Cup hosting rights; India withdraws
