R Ashwin defends Rahul Dravid after former head coach Ravi Shastri took a jibe at the current coach

Ravichandran Ashwin has defended India coach Rahul Dravid after Ravi Shastri chastised him for taking a sabbatical and skipping the tour to New Zealand. After the T20 World Cup, Dravid was granted a break as VVS Laxman took over as India’s stand-in coach for the tour of New Zealand, with Hardik Pandya taking over as captain for the T20I series. Shastri was unhappy with the decision to rest Dravid for the tour and questioned the need for a rest.

It is not the first time Dravid has opted for a rest as VVS Laxman was the head coach of the India team when the team played the 3-match ODI series against South Africa at home and Laxman was also the coach when the Indian team played the T20I series against Ireland and England earlier this year. Shastri when he was the national coach rarely took a break and hence he found it weird that Dravid needed a break.

Read more: Delhi and Dharmshala are set to host Test matches against Australia next year

Dravid took a break because he was mentally tired

“I don’t believe in breaks. I want to understand my team and players, and then be in control of that team. What do you need that many breaks for, to be honest? You get your two-three months of the IPL, that’s enough for you to rest as a coach. But other times, I think a coach should be hands-on, whoever he is,” Ravi Shastri told a select group of journalists during a call organised by Prime Video before the first T20I between New Zealand and England.

“I will explain why Laxman has gone there with a completely different team because even that could be interpreted differently. Rahul Dravid and his team put in extensive hard work ahead of the T20 World Cup, right from planning, since I saw this from close quarters, I’m saying this. They had specific in-depth plans for each venue and each opposition. So they would have been under not only mental but also physical burnout and everyone needed a break. As soon as the New Zealand series ends, we have the Bangladesh tour. That’s why we have a different coaching staff led by Laxman for this tour,” said Ashwin.

Dravid will be back for the Bangladesh tour that begins next month, but according to multiple reports, BCCI is mulling handing over the T20I coaching role to a different person altogether with Dravid being in charge of the Test and the ODI team. The Indian team had never split coaches for different formats.