‘Honeymoon period is over’: Saba Karim warns Team India coach Rahul Dravid after Asia Cup debacle

With the ICC T20I World Cup 2022, and the ODI World Cup next year, it’s crunch time ahead for Team India and after the mixed-bag of results at the Asia Cup 2022, Saba Karim has warned head coach Rahul Dravid. The former Indian cricketer and ex-member of the senior selection committee, Karim feels that Dravid himself will be aware that the ‘honeymoon period is over’. 

The Men in Blue defeated both Pakistan and Hong Kong in their group stage matches but suffered back-to-back losses at the hands of Pakistan and Sri Lanka which eliminated India from the Asia Cup 2022. 

There have been persistent questions regarding the team selection, and Karim was quizzed about India’s preparations for the T20I World Cup, after which he stated that the ex-India captain will only be satisfied if the Men in Blue go on and lift the T20I World Cup and the ODI World Cup at home. 

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“Well even Rahul Dravid is aware that the honeymoon period is over, and he is trying his best to be an alchemist but so far, such metals haven’t been converted into core. One would expect him to do that. This is crunch time for Rahul Dravid,” said on Sports 18’s show ‘Sports Over The Top. 

“With the World Cup T20 coming up, next year the ODI World Cup coming up. These two big ICC events, if India can win both these championships then only Rahul Dravid will be satisfied with the kind of inputs he has given to team India,” he added. 

Furthermore, the veteran also highlighted how Dravid’s tenure as head coach would be considered a success only if India can win ICC events, and Test matches in SENA countries. Earlier this year, India lost their Test series against both South Africa and England. 

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“See Rahul is sensible and intelligent enough to understand that the only way he can define a successful tenure of his coaching career is if India — number one, wins ICC events and number two it starts to win Test series in SENA countries. I’m not talking about Test wins,” he stated

Karim continued, “Test wins even while Rahul Dravid was playing, India has done that. But more importantly, when India starts to win in SENA countries, the Test series, that’s when Rahul Dravid will be very happy with team India’s performance.”

With agency inputs