WI v IND 2023: WATCH – “I’m just blessed that we are only two members…,” Kohli, Dravid recall 2011 West Indies tour

Dravid and Kohli were part of the Test side that visited the Caribbean islands back in 2011.

Virat Kohli and Rahul Dravid | BCCI/TwitterTeam India’s all-format tour of West Indies is all set to get underway with the Test series on July 12 in Dominica.

Indian fans will hope that head coach Rahul Dravid and veteran batter Virat Kohli can produce the goods for the home team on the West Indies tour, comprising two Tests, three ODIs and five T20Is.

Dravid and Kohli were part of the Test side that visited the Caribbean islands back in 2011. It was Dravid’s last visit to the West Indies as a player while Kohli made his Test debut on the same tour.

After over a decade, both of them have travelled to West Indies with some alterations to their roles. While Dravid has returned as the head coach of the side, Kohli has gone from being a newbie to a legendary batter.

Ahead of the opening Test, the duo reflected on their journey as they recalled fond memories of the 2011 tour.

“When I came here back in 2011, it was very special for the island and the ground here," Dravid said in a video posted by BCCI on Twitter.

“To come back here in a different capacity as a coach and to bring your team here, I think Virat was the only one who was there when we came here back in 2011," he added.

“I remember Virat, it was his first Test series with the Indian team. He was this young kid who had done really well in One Day cricket and was just finding his feet a little bit in Test cricket, but you could see there was some special there. You could see he was going to be around for a while. How long though, you can never say, so I think he can be very proud of his journey," the head coach continued.

“I certainly never thought I’d come here as a coach 10 years later, but it is nice to have seen that journey, seen him grow from being a youngster to a senior player on the trip," he further stated.

“It has been great for me to see that journey and I think of myself as someone who is a young coach who is starting out his journey as well. So I think the tables have turned a little bit," he joked.

Kohli also revisited the tour over a decade ago and narrated his experience of sharing the dressing room with Dravid.

“When we went to the dressing room and practice, I remember my first series here as a Test player and this is the place where it all started, The Caribbean," the 34-year-old said.

“It is amazing to be able to come back here 12 years later having played more than 100 Test matches. I would never have imagined anything like this," he added.

Kohli hailed Dravid’s humility and stated how ‘The Wall’ was an inspiration for young players on that tour.

“I think his comment about him being a youngster in his coaching career is a humble one because he has been coaching for a long period of time now," Kohli said.

“I was his teammate at one point and he was this senior established Test player who we all looked up to," he continued.

Virat Kohli opened up on his chat with Dravid ahead of the Test opener. “It is quite amazing, I told Rahul Bhai as well yesterday, ‘I’m sure you would have never imagined that 12 years later we would come back to the same ground and you’d be the head coach and I would have played over a 100 games’. No one would have guessed that," he revealed.

“So I’m just blessed that we are the only two members from the last trip still here in different capacities but, it is like life has come a full circle and the journeys have been quite amazing," he concluded.

 
 

By Salman Anjum - 12 Jul, 2023

    Share Via