Skipper Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid after the T20 World Cup win. (Instagram)
India captain Rohit Sharma shared a heartfelt post lauding Rahul Dravid for his services as the team’s head coach across a three-year stint, culminating with the T20 World Cup 2024 triumph in the West Indies.
Under the guidance of Rohit and coach Dravid, India made the semifinal of the T20 World Cup in 2022 before finishing runners-up in the World Test Championship final and the ODI World Cup final in 2023. Dravid’s first stint which began in November 2021 ended with the World Cup last November.
However, Dravid later revealed that it was a call from Rohit that pushed him to extend his contract up until the T20 World Cup in the Americas this year. That was momentous for the duo as they ended India’s 11-year ICC title drought, with Dravid winning his first major title with the senior men’s side.
“Dear Rahul bhai, I have been trying to find the right words to properly express my feelings on this but I’m not sure I ever will so here’s my attempt.
“Since my childhood days I have looked up to you just like billions of others but I was lucky enough to get to work with you this closely. You are an absolute stalwart of this game but you left all of your accolades and achievements at the door and walked in as our coach and came on a level where we all felt comfortable enough to say just about anything to you,” Rohit wrote in an Instagram post.
Incidentally, Rohit made his international debut in 2007 under Dravid’s captaincy against Ireland and featured in five matches together.
‘Work wife’
“That is your gift, your humility and your love for this game even after all this time. I have learnt so much from you and every memory will be cherished. My wife refers to you as my work wife and I’m lucky to get to call you that too.
“This (World Cup title) was the only thing missing from your arsenal and I’m so happy that we got to achieve it together. Rahul bhai it has been an absolute privilege to get to call you my confidant, my coach and my friend.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝗿𝗲-𝗪𝗔𝗟𝗟! 🫡
The sacrifices, the commitment, the comeback 🏆
📽️ #TeamIndia Head Coach Rahul Dravid‘s emotional dressing room speech in Barbados 👌👌 #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/vVUMfTZWbc
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 2, 2024
Earlier in June ahead of India’s T20 World Cup opener, an emotional Rohit had revealed that he had tried to persuade Dravid to continue as the head coach. “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.
Recalling Rohit’s critical phone-call that motivated him to stay on post the ODI World Cup final defeat to Australia in Ahmedabad, Dravid later said in a BCCI video: “Thank you very much, Ro (Rohit), for making that call in November and asking me to continue. It’s been such a privilege and a pleasure to work with each and every one of you, but also with Ro. Thank you for your time. I know as captain and coach, there are a lot of times we have to chat. We have to agree; we have to disagree. It’s been brilliant to know each and every one of you.”
BCCI secretary Jay Shah later revealed that the 51-year-old Dravid had opted out of another term due to personal reasons.
Get latest updates on T20 World Cup along with live score updates for all matches.
