Irfan Pathan and Rahul Dravid were teammates in the Indian cricket team.© AFP
Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan offered his support to Indian cricket team head coach Rahul Dravid, without naming the latter, in a recent tweet amid the ongoing saga about wicketkeeper batter Wriddhiman Saha being dropped from the Test side. In a tweet posted on the microblogging platform on Sunday, Pathan supported Dravid without naming him. “An honest coach Or just gives someone hope, even when they know a player doesn’t fit the schedule? Your opinion????? Always an honest coach for me!” Pathan wrote on Twitter. The tweet appeared to be a direct reference to the Dravid and Saha episode.
An honest coach Or just gives someone hope even when they know a player doesn’t fit the schedule? Your opinion????? ALWAYS an honest coach for me!
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) February 20, 2022
Speaking to reporters in Kolkata on Saturday, Saha had said Indian team management had told him he would no longer be considered for a place in the Test side.
“The team management had told me that I would be ineligible from now on. I couldn’t say this as long as I was part of the Indian team lineup,” said Saha.
“Even coach Rahul Dravid suggested I think about retiring,” he added.
A day later, following India’s victory over the West Indies in the third T20I, Dravid addressed the post-match press conference and answered questions about Saha’s comments.
“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 said when asked if he was hurt. by Saha’s comments.
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“It’s about conversations that I have with players all the time. I don’t expect players to always agree with everything I say about them. It doesn’t work that way. You can have difficult conversations with the players, but that doesn’t mean you can. polish under the rug and don’t have the conversations,” said the former India captain.
“I always believe in having those conversations before any XI playing is chosen and am open to questions such as why they aren’t playing. It’s normal for players to get upset and hurt,” Dravid added.
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