Rahul Dravid's two-year contract as head coach of the Indian cricket team came to an end on Sunday (November 19) with the conclusion of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.
Under his guidance, the Men in Blue performed exceptionally well in the showpiece tournament but failed to cross the final hurdle.
Rohit Sharma’s men suffered a comprehensive six-wicket defeat at the hands of Australia in the title clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
In a post-match press conference, Dravid was asked about his future plans as head coach and whether he would consider coaching the side in a single format.
In reply, the 50-year-old said: "I haven't thought about it. I've just come off a game. I had no time to think about this and no time to reflect on this. Yeah, I will when I get the time to do that."
"At this point in time, I was completely focused on this campaign and there was nothing else on my mind. And I haven't given any other thought to what happens in the future," he added.
Rahul Dravid was appointed as India’s head coach in November 2021. In his tenure, the team reached the semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2023 and the final of the World Test Championship and Cricket World Cup.
When asked to evaluate his stint, Dravid stated, "To be honest, I am not really someone who's going to judge and analyse myself."
Dravid remained non-committal about the possibility of coaching the team in next year's T20 World Cup in the USA and the West Indies.
"Honestly, I haven't thought about it. I think all our campaign, all our energies were focused on this match, focused on this tournament, and focused till here."
When asked whether the golden generation of Indian cricketers missed an opportunity to win a World Cup, Dravid remarked, "I'm not really thinking about 2027 and who's going to be there and who's not going to be there. There's a lot of time for that. A lot of water will flow under the bridge before that. There'll be a lot of time for that."
Talking about the final, Indian batters failed to get going on a slow pitch and managed to post only 240/10 in 50 overs after being asked to bat first.
In reply, the Aussies rode on Travis Head’s stunning hundred (137 off 120) and Marnus Labuschagne’s unbeaten half-century (58 off 110) to seal the chase in 43 overs.
(With PTI Inputs)
