Dravid Warns: One Bad Day Can Undo Everything Ahead of T20 World Cup

Former India coach Rahul Dravid has tipped India as strong favourites to defend their T20 World Cup crown, with the side riding a methodical, aggressive approach that he credits to Rohit Sharma's leadership and coach Gautam Gambhir's guidance. India have been unbeaten in T20I series for nearly three years—their last loss coming against the West Indies in August 2023—and look like a daunting force heading into the home World Cup.

Yet Dravid offered a caveat that in T20 cricket, one bad day can undo everything. Reflecting on November 19, 2023, he said, irrespective of how strong the Indian team is, one bad day in the office can undo everything. He noted that he had considered stepping down after India’s brilliant 10-match winning streak at the last World Cup, only to be persuaded by Rohit Sharma to continue for another six months.

Dravid credited Rohit Sharma for transforming India's white-ball cricket after the disappointing 2022 T20 World Cup exit. There was a feeling that we were slightly behind in white-ball cricket and needed to push the envelope a little more. Run rates were going up, risk-taking was increasing, and we needed to adapt to that reality, Dravid said. What was brilliant was that Rohit took the lead immediately and helped drive the evolution in India's approach, contributing to an 80% success rate in recent years. He added that the team clearly starts as favourites and should make the semi-finals, but it remains about the better team on the day.

At a book event celebrating The Rise of the Hitman by R. Kaushik, Dravid touched on the culture shift within Indian cricket and the ongoing balance between ambition and execution. The overarching message was clear: India are well-placed, but the sport remains unpredictable, and every match could hinge on that one perfect performance.

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