"He Wanted To Step Down": Rohit Sharma On Conversation With Rahul Dravid After 2023 World Cup
Rohit Sharma has finally opened up on the chat he had with Rahul Dravid as the latter wanted to quit as Team India's head coach, after the 2023 ODI World Cup heartbreak.
- Rahul Dravid guided India to the T20 World Cup 2024 title in the USA and Barbados.
- Dravid planned to quit as India's coach after the 2023 ODI World Cup final loss to Australia.
- Rohit Sharma convinced Dravid to continue coaching until the T20 World Cup 2024.
One of the greatest batters to play for India, yet Rahul Dravid could never manage to lift an ICC title during his career as an active cricketer. At the senior level, Dravid first tasted success at the top echelon of the sport as he guided the Indian team to the T20 World Cup 2024 title in the USA and Barbados. However, Dravid had made up his mind to quit as India's coach after the 2023 ODI World Cup final, which the Indian team lost to Australia.
Though Dravid didn't want to continue with the role, he was eventually convinced to keep going by the then skipper Rohit Sharma, who wanted the coach to remain with the team at least till the T20 World Cup 2024.
Rohit, on the anniversary of India's T20 World Cup triumph last year, has now opened up on the conversation he had with the coach on the subject.
"Rahul bhai wanted to step down after the 2023 World Cup. But we said, 'There's another World Cup in six months. We've come this far. Let's give it one more shot.' He agreed-and I'm so glad he did. I'm sure even now he feels that he made the right decision.
"For me personally, it was also emotional. My identity as a cricketer began with this format-in the 2007 T20 World Cup. To come full circle and lift the trophy again in 2024-it was just fantastic," Rohit said in a chat on JioHotstar.
On the feeling of finally lifting an ICC title as captain in Babados, Rohit said it was the most proud moment of his career.
"Barbados will forever be in my veins. This is the proudest moment of my cricketing career. To lift that trophy, to be crowned ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 Champions-it was surreal. I played in the inaugural 2007 T20 World Cup and we won under MS Dhoni's captaincy. And now, to win it again with Rahul Dravid as head coach-it meant everything to this group. We've seen heartbreak. We've come so close. That's why this one was so special. We worked and planned relentlessly-every day. And when we finally won, all the emotions came pouring out. The younger players, especially those playing their first World Cup, realised how hard it is to win one. Nothing can be taken for granted. It was magical."
India Cricket Team
Rohit Sharma
Rahul Dravid