NCA head and interim head coach VVS Laxman lauded the gesture by Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to hand over the T20 World Cup 2024 trophy to head coach Rahul Dravid in Barbados. India defeated South Africa by 7 runs in the final on June 29 to become two-time T20 world champions.
Emotions flowed freely amidst jubilation galore as the whole of India celebrated winning an ICC global trophy after 11 years and their second T20 World Cup title after 17 years.
Laxman talked about the same and highlighted how Rahul Dravid let go of his emotions with the ICC trophy in his hands, something he couldn’t win as a cricketer and India captain. Laxman also praised India captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for giving respect to Dravid and handing over the trophy to him to celebrate.
"I thought it was a great gesture by Rohit and Virat Kohli to hand over the trophy to him (Dravid) and the way he celebrated by lifting the trophy, showed how much it meant to each one of them,” Laxman said in a video by BCCI.
VVS Laxman praised the team's "resilience" in winning the T20 World Cup "from the jaws of defeat" and stated the players' and former coach Rahul Dravid's fervent celebration demonstrated the significance of the victory for them.
"The kind of finish we had after we were under pressure with South Africa batters needing 30 runs off 30 balls. And from there to show character, resilience, and self-belief to pull off the match from the jaws of defeat, it shows the character of the entire team.
The amount of hard work they put in, the celebrations (by the players and support staff) told the bigger story behind this victory,” Laxman added.
"It is a special feeling winning the World Cup. Playing against the best and winning the trophy means a lot to all the players participating in the tournament. Everyone showed their emotions and it showed how much it meant to each and every player in the squad, as well as the support staff, the emotions were high. You saw Hardik Pandya breaking down once he bowled the last delivery. You saw Rohit Sharma on the ground.
The entire country is rejoicing in this win. It was a special feeling keeping in mind we had come close (to winning the title) six months back (ODI World Cup). We should have won the 50-over World Cup, dominating the entire tournament but unable to cross the final hurdle," he said.
VVS Laxman also had a special message for Virat, Rohit, and Ravindra Jadeja, who retired from T20Is after the T20 World Cup.
"My message to these game stalwarts, Virat, Rohit, and Ravindra Jadeja, an extremely talented player who has contributed immensely to the progress of the Indian team. Congratulations on the contributions you have made to this great game and set an example for the youngsters to follow. The passion and the pride with which they played this game are exemplary.
While they have retired from this format, I am sure they will continue to prepare the way they did so far in their career and continue to bring laurels to the country. Big congratulations for an excellent T20 career and I am sure they will continue to contribute in the longer version of the game and the 50-over format,” he added.
(BCCI inputs)
