Rahul Dravid’s success as a coach will benefit Indian team, says Cheteshwar Pujara.

According to media reports, Rahul Dravid has agreed to succeed Ravi Shastri as India’s head coach, after the conclusion of the ongoing T20 World Cup. Dravid is BCCI’s favourite to take over the role, after Shastri confirmed that he is not seeking an extension as India’s head coach. Earlier this year, the former Indian batsman had coached a second-string Indian unit that toured Sri Lanka for a white-ball series.

Notably, Dravid was reappointed as National Cricket Academy’s (NCA) head last month, but the 48-year-old will have to step down from the role to coach the senior Indian team. Meanwhile, Cheteshwar Pujara has stated that Dravid’s experience as a player and coach will benefit the Indian cricket team. 

"I followed him and Sachin Tendulkar when I was little. He was such a great batsman himself and he also has been a succesfull coach. He guided the under-19 and India A teams and that experience, alongwith the experience he had as a player, it will be very helpful for the Indian team. You are a different person as a player," said Pujara on aaj tak's Salaam Cricket 2021.

"When you become a coach you understand what the player wants. How you can take a player forward, what kind of guidance you have to give a player in a certain situation, which players has to be given more freedom, how to handle pressure moments and so on," he said.

Dravid has contributed his best towards Indian cricket after his retirement, by working with India A and Under-19 team. He played a crucial role in nourishing youngsters like Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, and Shreyas Iyer, who later became part of India's senior team.

Cheteshwar Pujara stated that Dravid maintains a rapport with the youngsters in the team, and it will definitely help in grooming the players. Speaking of his conversations with Dravid in the past, Pujara stated that his discussions with the former Indian batsman have been more about the mental aspects of batting.

"As far as batting is concerned, I have had a lot of conversations with him about the mental aspect, which he understands really well. All the young players who have come in like Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, they have all interacted with Rahul bhai. I feel that they have got so many good inputs from him. He understands the difference between the generation that he learnt all of this from and the one that is coming up now. So I am sure he is one of the best choices," said Pujara.

India will start their T20 World Cup campaign against Pakistan on Sunday, October 24 in Dubai.