Team India head coach Rahul Dravid with captain Rohit Sharma after the 2023 ODI World Cup final in Ahmedabad. (Reuters)
A day after India head coach Rahul Dravid confirmed that the ongoing T20 World Cup will be his last assignment with the national team, skipper Rohit Sharma conceded that he had attempted to convince Dravid to stay.
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“I tried convincing him to stay, but obviously there are a lot of things that he needs to look after as well. But yeah, I personally enjoyed my time with him,” Rohit told reporters in New York on Tuesday.
Looking back at his tenure as captain alongside Dravid as head coach, Rohit shared that the experience of learning subtle leadership traits from his ‘role model’ – also his first India captain, coincidentally in a game vs Ireland – was ‘very fruitful’
“He was my first international captain when I made my debut in Ireland. Then I’ve seen him play while I was just coming into the team (for) Test matches when he was captain. And such a big role model for all of us,” Rohit said.
“Growing up, we watched him play and we know what he has achieved, personally as a player and also what he’s done for the team over the years. Battling out the team from difficult situations and that is what he’s known for,” he added.
Dravid has conceded that he won’t be re-applying for the head coach role. (File)
Dravid’s arrival as the India head coach in November 2021 had coincided with Rohit being named the white-ball captain – and later the all-format skipper. With the two part of leadership group, India made it to a World Test Championship as well as ODI World Cup final and a T20 World Cup semifinal.
“He’s shown a lot of great determination throughout his career and that is something that when he came here as a coach, I wanted to learn from him. It’s been very fruitful. Other than the big silver (trophy), we won all the major tournaments and series. I’ve enjoyed every bit of it, working with him,” Rohit said. “And for him to buy into that thought, obviously makes a huge difference. And he was the first one who came and said, ‘this is what we need to do as a team’. No matter what happens, but at least we’ll give it a good shot at it when he arrived.”
When asked if the team had any special farewell plans for their head coach, Rohit kept a tight lid, “I’m sure the rest of the guys will say the same. It’s been great working with him. And I’m not going to say anything actually. I’m not going to say anything.”
Dravid’s initial contract with the national side had come to an end after the 2023 ODI World Cup, and was extended to June 2024 after the team managed to produce a near-perfect campaign until the loss to Australia in the final.
In April, the BCCI had invited applications for the national team head coach job following the T20 World Cup. Back then, the BCCI Secretary Jay Shah had stated that Dravid can re-apply for the role but the latter on Monday deemed it unlikely.
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