‘I wasn’t particularly fond of…’Former India head coach shares honest take on impact player rule

The former India head coach shared his honest opinion on the Impact Player rule, highlighting both its positives and negatives.

The ex-India and current Rajasthan Royals head coach, Rahul Dravid, shared his honest take on the impact player rule. He said that when he was India’s head coach, he wasn’t a big fan of this rule. In a recent interview, Dravid explained the strategic value of this rule, but also pointed out that it creates problems when picking players for the national team.

Dravid also admitted that the Impact Player rule has made the IPL more competitive, but he said taht it could cause problems for all-rounders.

“It has certainly added a different dynamic,” Dravid told Sportstar

“I’ll be honest: when I was India’s coach, I wasn’t particularly fond of the Impact Player rule. Not because it doesn’t make the game more competitive – it certainly does. It adds complexity and keeps matches alive till the very end. But from a national team perspective, it posed some challenges.” he added

“Statistically, scoring rates have increased due to teams having an extra specialist batter. This means no team is ever truly out of a game. You can have a batter at No.8 or even No.9, which allows for aggressive hitting even after losing six or seven wickets.” Dravid said

Dravid also emphasized on the negative impact the rule has on all-rounders. “As a coach, you want to develop all-rounders, and under the old 11 vs 11 format, certain players would have had more opportunities to bat or bowl in different situations. The Impact Player rule has changed that to some extent. While having an all-rounder still brings balance, teams can now manage without one if they don’t find the right fit.” Dravid said

Earlier, star wicketkeeper-batter MS Dhoni also expressed his disapproval of the Impact Player rule.

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