Coach Rahul Dravid says he’s not hurt by Wriddhiman Saha’s comments, wicketkeeper deserved honesty and clarity

Rahul Dravid said that he will continue having such conversations with players whether they like the content of the discussion or not.

Team India head coach Rahul Dravid (left) and Wriddhiman Saha. (Source: Twitter)

Team India’s head coach Rahul Dravid is not at all ‘hurt’ that veteran keeper Wriddhiman Saha has revealed a very classified conversation that he had on his future but at the same time wanted to give the Bengal stumper clarity about his position in the team. Wriddhiman, whose India career has come to a halt, had told the media that head coach Dravid had asked him to consider retirement during a private conversation after the South Africa series.

“I’m actually not hurt at all. I have deep respect for Wriddhi and his achievements and his contribution to Indian cricket. My conversation came from that place. I think he deserved honesty and clarity,” Dravid replied in his typical classy manner where he revealed little about a breach of trust with regards to dressing room conversation.

The ‘Wall’ said that he will continue having such conversations with players whether they like the content of the discussion or not. “It’s about conversations I constantly have with players. I don’t expect players to always agree with everything I say about them. That’s not how it works. You can have difficult conversations with the players, but that doesnt mean you brush it under the carpet and don't have the conversations,” Dravid was crystal clear in his approach.

Shocking a player being threatened by a journo. Blatant position abuse. Something that's happening too frequently with #TeamIndia. Time for the BCCI PREZ to dive in. Find out who the person is in the interest of every cricketer. This is serious coming from ultimate team man WS https://t.co/gaRyfYVCrs — Ravi Shastri (@RaviShastriOfc) February 20, 2022

Dravid said that his philosophy is to discuss with players even before every playing eleven being picked. “I always believe in having those conversations before every playing XI is picked and be open to questions such as why they are not playing. It's natural for players to get upset and feel hurt.”

Dravid also explained that rationale behind speaking to Wriddhiman was because Rishabh Pant has already established himself as the new No 1 keeper and the Bengal man wouldn’t have got chances. “I was just trying to convey that with RP (Pant) having established himself as our No.1 wicketkeeper-batsman, the idea was to say that we are looking to groom a younger wicketkeeper (Kona Bharat). This doesn’t change my feelings or respect for Wriddhi.”

For Dravid, telling a harsh truth is better than avoiding a conversation. “Easiest thing for me is to not have those conversations and not speak to players about it. That’s not what I am going to do. But at some stage, I hope they respect the fact that I was able to front up and have those conversations,” he added.

Sharing his thoughts on the comments, former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan took to Twitter to write, “An honest coach Or someone just gives hope even after knowing that a player doesn’t fit in the scheme of things? Your opinion????? For me an honest coach ALWAYS!”

(with PTI inputs)