Rahul Dravid on Monday (June 3) confirmed that he will not be applying for the India head coach job following the end of the ongoing T20 World Cup in the West Indies and USA.
Notably, Dravid was roped in as chief coach in November 2021 for a two-year term, which ended after the conclusion of the 50-over World Cup last year. However, he was given an extension along with his support staff till the T20 World Cup 2024.
A day later, India skipper Rohit Sharma opened about about how he tried to persuade Dravid to stay on but ultimately failed.
The deadline to apply for the post of Indian men's cricket team head coach ended on May 27. While the BCCI has remained silent on the development, Gautam Gambhir’s name is creating a buzz in the media, especially after KKR clinched the IPL 2024 title under his mentorship.
“I tried convincing him (Dravid) 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 on Tuesday (June 4).
“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,” he further stated.
The Indian captain also talked about his relationship with Dravid, which goes back all the way to 2007 when Rohit made his national debut.
“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,” said Rohit on the eve of India’s T20 World Cup 2024 opener against Ireland in New York.
“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.
Team India haven’t won an ICC tournament since 2013. Last year, they lost the WTC final and ODI World Cup final to Australia.
Rohit described Dravid’s tenure as head coach ‘fruitful’ for India even though the team failed to win any silverware.
“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 silverware (trophy), we won all the major tournaments and series. I’ve enjoyed every bit of it, working with him, deciding what direction the team needs to head.
“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,” Rohit remarked.
(CricketNext Inputs)
