New Delhi: At Barbados, ‘The Wall’ broke down in front of cameras as India’s cricket coach Rahul Dravid celebrated ecstatically lifting the World Cup trophy that he never won as a player.
That rare moment from the man known for keeping his emotions under control capped a full circle — from the ever dependable cricketer to a coach capping his national stint with a T20 World Cup under his belt.
For Dravid, it was a moment of redemption as well, having suffered the agony of defeat in a World Cup final as both player (2003) and coach (2023). If the 2003 ODI World Cup loss to Australia was painful, the 2023 debacle was heart wrecking as the Men in Blue had blazed through the tournament only to capitulate before the same adversary.
The loss meant that the two years of hard work by Dravid, who became the head coach in November 2021, for building a formidable ODI side had come to naught. It was then skipper Rohit Sharma persuaded Dravid to stay on until the 2024 T20 World Cup, a decision that would prove to be a masterstroke.
“Thank you very much, Ro (Rohit), for making that call in November and asking me to continue. It’s been such a privilege and a pleasure to work with each and every one of you, but also with Ro. Thank you for your time. I know as captain and coach, there are a lot of times we have to chat. We have to agree; we have to disagree. It’s been brilliant to know each and every one of you,” Dravid said in his brief but emotional speech at the dressing room.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝗿𝗲-𝗪𝗔𝗟𝗟! 🫡
The sacrifices, the commitment, the comeback 🏆
📽️ #TeamIndia Head Coach Rahul Dravid’s emotional dressing room speech in Barbados 👌👌 #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/vVUMfTZWbc
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 2, 2024
Soon, the former India coach was in the news again. Dravid refused to take an extra bonus of Rs 2.5 crore for the T20 World Cup triumph. Avid cricket watchers will remember that he had urged the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to divide the U-19 World Cup prize money equally among coaching staff.
Commentary great Harsha Bhogle sums up Dravid’s persona in his inimitable style that he only can, noting that how the batting great shows the way “to achieve greatness and let it rest simply upon us.”
In a world where ‘come-look-at-me’ is a disease and paid PR is an acceptable way of life, Rahul Dravid makes humility look cool. It is what we must aspire for in our profession; to achieve greatness and let it rest simply upon us.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) July 10, 2024
Dravid’s illustrious 15-year-plus career began in 1996, when he made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka in April that year and followed it up with his maiden Test call against England in June.
Perhaps the last of the ‘classical’ batsmen with an impeccable temperament, Dravid accumulated 13,288 Test runs at an impressive average of 52.31, with 36 centuries and 63 half-centuries. His ODI career was equally impressive: 10,889 runs at an average of 39.16 with 12 centuries and 83 half-centuries.
Interestingly, Dravid featured in only one T20 international — he played against England at Old Trafford. The match saw him clear the boundary thrice in a row as he scored a quickfire 31 at a strike rate of 147.61!
After taking over as a full-time captain from Sourav Ganguly, Dravid captained the Indian team in 20 Tests and 62 ODIs. While the team under him went on to notch series wins in West Indies, Bangladesh and England, the low point was the exit from group stage in the 2007 ODI World Cup.
“With a four-team group, one bad game and it was all over. That is what happened to India and Pakistan. Not qualifying for the Super Eights in 2007 was probably one of the biggest disappointments of my career,” Dravid wrote for ESPNcricinfo in 2015.
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The coach
The year he penned down his playing experience of three ODI World Cups also marked his entry as a cricket coach.
Dravid took charge of Under-19 and India A teams in June 2015, marking the start of his second innings with the game of cricket. He had also worked as a mentor to IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals in 2014.
Under his guidance, the Under-19 team ended as runners-up at the 2016 Cricket World Cup and won the 2018 edition of the tournament. As coach, Dravid focused on developing the young players’ skills and instilling a strong work ethic at the grassroots. His success with twin assignments led to his appointment as the Head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in 2019.
The big break came in November 2021 when he took over from Ravi Shastri as the national coach for a two-year term till the end of the 2023 ODI World Cup.
In his tenure as coach, India dominated T20 cricket, winning 48 out of 69 matches since November 2021, achieving a win percentage and a win-loss ratio of 2.82. This success catapulted India to the top of the ICC T20 rankings, surpassing Australia in the process.
Although a semi-final loss to England in the 2022 T20 World Cup was a setback, India achieved notable victories under Dravid and skipper Rohit Sharma’s leadership, including defeating England on their home turf and displaying dominance in ODIs, winning 10 out of 13 bilateral series with a win-loss ratio of 3.4.
India also emerged as the second-strongest team in Test cricket, trailing only Australia. In the 24 Tests played under coach Dravid’s watch, India has secured 14 victories and suffered 7 defeats. Notably, the team have won six series, including impressive home victories against formidable opponents like Australia and England.
However, India has also faced setbacks, missing opportunities to clinch their first-ever Test series win in South Africa in 2021 and 2023, and succumbing to Australia in the 2023 World Test Championship final.
𝗗𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵! ☺️ 🏆
Signing off in a legendary fashion! 🫡 🫡
Congratulations to #TeamIndia Head Coach Rahul Dravid on an incredible #T20WorldCup Campaign 👏👏#SAvIND pic.twitter.com/GMO216VuXy
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 29, 2024
As India defeated South Africa by 7 runs in the T20 final at Kensington Oval, the victory was special for Dravid on a personal front as well — it was in the Caribbean 17 years ago when the team under his captaincy had made an early exit from the ODI World Cup.
“I think all of you will remember these moments. It’s not about the runs, the wickets, you will not remember your career. But you will remember moments like these. I cannot be more proud of you guys. To come back the way you did, the way you fought. The way we worked as a team. The resilience,” Dravid said, as he summed up his coaching stint after the T20 World Cup win.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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