Bridgetown: India head coach Rahul Dravid has taken a huge sigh of relief after finishing his tenure with an elusive T20 World Cup title in Barbados Saturday.
Dravid, who was under the scanner for losing two consecutive ICC finals, the World Test Championship and the ODI World Cup against Australia last year, delivered in his last assignment to break the more than decade-long title drought for India.
In a nail-biting encounter, India defeated South Africa by seven runs to clinch their second T20 World Cup trophy. After the win, Virat Kohli and captain Rohit Sharma announced their retirements from the T20Is.
Commenting on his bond with Rohit, Dravid said he will him as a person more than a captain of the side.
“I will miss him as a person forget the cricket, forget the captain and everything. I just hope we will still be friends. I think what’s really impressed me in all of these is the kind of person that he is, the kind of respect he has shown me, the kind of care and commitment he has had for the team, the kind of energy, and he has never backed down from it,” he said after the match.
“So, for me, it’s the person that I will remember the most…he will be a great captain, he will be a great player, he will win trophies but I think it’s the person that I am most fond of,” Dravid added.
The 51-year-old lauded the fighting spirit of his boys and the way they fought back in the crunch situations of the blockbuster clash to stamp themselves as new T20I champions.
“I really have felt short of words over the last few hours. I just could not be more proud of this team, the way we had to fight difficult situations. Even today I think it was a great testimony… for the team to lose three wickets in the first six overs, to be in the kind of position we were in, but the boys just kept fighting, they kept believing.
“You know, as a player, I was not lucky enough to win a trophy, but I tried my best whenever I played and it happens, it’s part of sports,” he said.
It was a memorable moment for Dravid to win the little with India after facing a forgettable first-round exit in the 2007 ODI World Cup under his leadership in the West Indies.
However, the veteran denied the redemption factor and admitted being “lucky” to deliver it as a coach for the country.
“Firstly, there is no redemption. I am not one of those guys who thinks about redemption and those kind of things. There are a lot of other players I know who have not been able to win a trophy. I was lucky to be given the opportunity to coach, and I was lucky that this bunch of boys made it possible for me to be able to win a trophy and celebrate,” Dravid said.
“Nice feeling, but it’s not like I am aiming for some redemption, it’s just a job that I was doing. I loved doing the job, I loved working with Rohit and this team. It’s been a great journey and I have really enjoyed it.
“Just phenomenal, just lovely to be a part of a dressing room like this. It’s a memory of a lifetime for me, so I am thankful and grateful to the team and the support staff who have made this possible. I am not a legacy person, I am not looking for legacies, I just feel glad that we could give our best. I think I have been lucky to have been working with an exceptionally professional bunch, intelligent bunch of coaches and other support staff who have made it possible to create a fantastic environment.
“I am glad that a bit of luck has resulted in this trophy. I couldn’t be happier for this team, and I couldn’t be happier for so many of the Indian fans who are coming out to these games.”
IANS