Rahul Dravid Credits Rohit Sharma for Extending His Tenure as India’s Head Coach Till T20 World Cup
Rahul Dravid admits he had no intention of staying on as head coach, but he was persuaded to stay by a call from captain Rohit Sharma after India’s loss in the ODI World Cup final.
After the team finished second to Australia in the ODI World Cup last year, Rahul Dravid’s first two-year tenure as India’s head coach came to an end. Then everything changed when Rohit Sharma called.
“In a video released by the BCCI, Dravid expressed his gratitude to Ro for reaching out to me back in November and requesting that I stay on,” Dravid added, bringing his term to a finish with India’s victory in the T20 World Cup 2024.
“Working with each and every one of you has been such an honor and pleasure, but thank you also for your time, Ro. We must talk, debate, agree, and occasionally dispute for a great deal of time, but thank you very much.”
In addition to winning the T20 World Cup, Dravid led India to the June 2023 World Test Championship final and the November 2023 ODI World Cup final as their coach.
Dravid declared he didn’t believe in “redemption stories” during his coaching heyday. That was in answer to a query about whether it was especially fulfilling to win the World Cup on the same grounds where India, led by skipper Shahid Afridi, was eliminated in the first round of the 2007 ODI World Cup.
“I’m not usually short of words but on a day like today, for me to be part of this, I could not be more grateful,” Dravid stated. “Thank you to each and every one of you for your efforts, consideration, and respect for myself, my coaching staff, and my support staff.
“You will all cherish these memories. We often say, “Let’s truly enjoy, it’s not about the runs or wickets, you never remember your career, but you remember moments like this.”
During the victory celebrations, Virat Kohli and Rohit led the way as the entire team lifted Dravid in the air. Even though the two veteran players hadn’t played in the T20I format in a while, Dravid and the selectors were the ones who brought them back to the team earlier this year.
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Dravid gave Kohli a brief message as they celebrated together: “All three whites ticked off.” One more red to go. Mark it with a check. This alludes to India’s victories in the ODI World Cup (2011), the Champions Trophy (2013), and the current T20 World Cup—all of which Kohli participated in—as well as the Test championship, which India has yet to win despite having advanced to the final on both occasions.
Soon, a successor to David is anticipated to be announced. The BCCI secretary, Jay Shah, has stated that the next coach will be announced prior to the white-ball trip of Sri Lanka in late July. Currently, VVS Laxman is leading the second-string team that will play a series of five Twenty20 Internationals in Zimbabwe beginning on July 6. The front-runner to be selected head coach is Gautam Gambhir.
Prior to the T20 World Cup beginning last month, Dravid had stated that his busy schedule was a primary deterrent to reapplying for the position. He had stated, “Unfortunately, just the kind of schedules [that are in place in international cricket] and where I find myself in this stage of my life, I don’t think I’ll be able to reapply,” when India had arrived in New York.
