Bhubaneswar: Curtains came down on Rahul Dravid’s two-and-a-half-year-long tenure as the Head Coach as Team India lifted the much-awaited 2024 T20 World Cup title on Saturday.
The batting legend had already confirmed his exit post-World Cup irrespective of the result earlier this month.
The decision of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to extend his stay after his contract as India head coach expired on completion of ODI World Cup in November 2023 proved to be the right one as the former India captain helped the Men in Blue win their second T20 World Cup, ending an 11-year ICC title drought.
Dravid, who endured a disappointing first-round exit in the 2007 ODI World Cup in the Caribbean under his captaincy and never won a world championship during his own illustrious playing career, lauded his team for their perseverance and belief under tough conditions. “This is a journey of (over) two years, this is not a journey of this T20 World Cup, the construction of this team, the kind of skills we wanted, players we wanted, discussions started when I started in September 2021. Just phenomenal, just lovely to be a part of a dressing room like this. It’s a memory of a lifetime for me, so I am thankful and grateful to the team and the support staff who have made this possible.”
He also admitted that he would miss Rohit Sharma as a person. “I will miss him as a person, forget the cricket, forget the captain and everything. I just hope we will still be friends.”
Humorously acknowledging his departure, he added: “Yeah I will be (able to move on from this victory) Next week, life will be the same for me. I will be unemployed next week, so any offers?”
Earlier showing his wild side, Dravid had burst into wild celebrations after Virat Kohli handed the trophy to him at the post-World Cup final presentation. Virat, Rohit and other players also lifted him into the air to give him a perfect farewell.
Watching Rahul Dravid like this. 🥳
Thanks to the entire team for giving Dravid this moment. 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/aE0vOnqKig
— Narundar (@NarundarM) June 29, 2024
Rahul Dravid gets most deserving celebration by lifting him in the air. 🙌#T20IWorldCup #INDvSA2024 pic.twitter.com/MU6sYDYbTB
— Kumar Manish (@kumarmanish9) June 29, 2024
Replacing Ravi Shastri as the head coach amid the tumultuous change in captaincy from Virat Kohli to Rohit Sharma in all formats, Dravid guided India to a record-extending Asia Cup win in the build-up to last year’s World Cup when they were outclassed by Australia, but the send-off turned out to be a happy one as Rohit and Co snatch the second T20 World Cup crown in the nail-bitting final against South Africa in Barbados. His notable achievements include reaching the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2022 and finishing as runners-up in the ODI World Cup 2023 and the World Test Championship 2023.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also lauded Dravid for his incredible journey as the head coach of the Indian team. “Rahul Dravid’s incredible coaching journey has shaped the success of Indian cricket. His unwavering dedication, strategic insights and nurturing the right talent have transformed the team. India is grateful to him for his contributions and for inspiring generations. We are happy to see him lift the World Cup. Happy to have congratulated him,” PM Modi wrote.