ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 India won the title after 11 years and it was a kind of farewell to Rahul Dravid as his tenure comes to an end. Rahul Dravid will now be recognized as a World Cup-winning coach which is the proudest thing for any player who can’t win the ICC trophy but as a head coach, he fulfilled his dream.
India won the T20 World Cup after 17 years and it’s Rohit Sharma who led the team to victory and Rahul Dravid ends his tenure on a happy note.
Aakash Chopra lauds Rahul Dravid
Rahul Dravid was appointed as Head Coach in 2021 and their first assignment was World Test Championship but they remained runners-up, then they won Asia Cup but once again India remained runners-up in ODI World Cup 2023 and both losses came against Australia, still Rahul Dravid was appointed as head coach for his second tenure but this time he succeeds and won T20 World Cup. Under his leadership and coaching, India was outshined well and their approach towards the game was different. Despite remaining runners-up two times India will never forget how Rahul Dravid shaped Indian cricket and took it to the next level. Former player and now-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra lauds Rahul Dravid for his coaching. Aakash Chopra said:
“He started with under-19, remained with the India A team, and then came with this team. This team has reached the final of the last three ICC events and you won the Asia Cup. You reached the WTC final, the team remained consistently as No. 1, reached the ODI World Cup final, and won the T20 World Cup final,” he observed
“Good things happen to good people. Your heart is satiated if such things happen. The team Rahul Dravid created has disintegrated slightly in this format because three retirements have come one after the other but he provided stability and clarity of thought,” Chopra added.
As we all know Rahul Dravid has shaped India’s future and has won many Under 19 trophies under his coaching so his legacy starts from their itself. Players like Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan, Shubman Gill, Prithvi Shaw Arshdeep Singh, and many more who have reached at international level just because of Rahul Dravid, while praising Aakash Chopra said:
“Rahul Dravid’s legacy is not the last day. His legacy is that he started working with the under-19s. Then he had the option to become an IPL coach. In the IPL, you get more money, have less work, it’s more glamorous, and you are appreciated and admired more,” he said
“Life is a lot easier. You can be with your family for 10 months and spend two months in the IPL. However, he said ‘no’. He said he wanted to become the under-19 coach. He is Rahul Dravid, that is his legacy. He doesn’t take any shortcuts. He has always chosen the longer route which might not be very exciting and might require a lot of hard work,” Chopra explained.
Rahul Dravid’s contribution to Indian cricket will be remembered for ages as a player and coach.