Rahul Dravid's lowest point as coach came during Virat Kohli's last series as India captain

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Rahul Dravid has opened up on his lowest point during his tenure as the head coach of the senior India men's cricket team. Unlike many would assume, the defeat in the final of World Cup 2023 was not what hurt Dravid the most.

Instead it was the first Test series which India played under his tenure, and also the last three Test matches of Virat Kohli as a captain. Rahul David recalled India's 2021-22 tour of South Africa, and said India should have managed to win their first-ever Test series in the rainbow nation after taking a 1-0 lead.

India breached South Africa's Centurion fortress for the first time to win the first Test by seven wickets. In the second Test match in Johannesburg, India were without Virat Kohli, however they fought bravely but lost by seven wickets. After scoring 202 in the first innings, India bundled out South Africa for 229. They set them a 239-run target, but the hosts managed to chase it with ease in the fourth innings.

Kohli returned for the final Test as India this time managed to take a 13-run first innings lead this time, but got bundled out for 198 in the second innings, before South Africa chased down 211 by losing just three wickets once again. India conceded opportunities to win in both the games.

“If you ask me what is the lowest point, I would say the South Africa Test series early on in my career. We won the first Test match in South Africa in Centurion, and then we were playing in the second and third Test match. We have never won a series in South Africa, as you know. It was a really big opportunity for us to win that series,' Rahul Dravid told ESPNcricinfo.

"Some of our senior players were not there. Rohit Sharma was injured, and we didn’t have some senior players in that series. But we were very close, and in both the Test matches—the second and the third test matches—in the third inning, we had a big opportunity. We could have set a decent score and won the game, but South Africa played well. They chased back in in the fourth inning. So I would say that that was probably my lowest point in my coaching of not being able to win that series in spite of being ahead," he added.

Virat Kohli, who had stepped down from T20I captaincy, and sacked as the ODI captain before the tour, stepped down from Test captaincy as well after the 1-2 series defeat. Rohit Sharma soon became India captain across formats.