Outgoing India head coach Rahul Dravid revealed that it was one phone call from captain Rohit Sharma that led to him extending his contract beyond the ICC ODI World Cup 2023.
Rahul Dravid took over as head coach from Ravi Shastri post the T20 World Cup 2021 and guided India to the semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. India also played in the finals of WTC 2023 and the ODI World Cup 2023, only to lose to Australia.
It looked like the tenure of Rahul Dravid would finish without an ICC trophy and it was then he received a call from Rohit Sharma about the T20 World Cup 2024 and having one more crack at the trophy.
“Rohit called and said, ‘Rahul, let’s have another crack’. I think that was the best phone call of my life,” Dravid smiled while recalling his conversation with the Indian captain.
"One of the best phone calls I have received in my life " – Dravid to Rohit 🥹♥️ pic.twitter.com/7Z0D2laEtT
— ` (@FourOverthrows) July 4, 2024
Although Dravid’s tenure expired with the 2023 World Cup final, the batting legend and his coaching staff were given an extension till the end of the T20 World Cup. Seven months later, the Dravid-coached Indian squad became the first men’s team to win a T20 World Cup without losing a single game.
‘These boys are like family’- Rahul Dravid says before signing off as India coach
Before becoming the India senior team coach, Rahul Dravid had worked extensively in the National Cricket Academy and was also the coach of the U19 team that won the Youth World Cup in 2018 under the captaincy of Prithvi Shaw. Dravid also guided India to Asia Cup glory last year.
“This is a fantastic note to sign off on. I am going to miss all this love. What we have been seeing today and what I have heard since the win shows how India makes cricket brilliant. These boys are like family. The amount of work these boys have done (is incredible) and they are constantly looking to get better. As coaches and support staff, we couldn’t have asked for anything more. We are privileged to have been able to coach this team,” Dravid mentioned.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will announce Dravid’s successor in the lead-up to the Sri Lanka series.