It was bitter, but it sure was not for a lack of trying. Indian skipper Rohit Sharma talked about how he tried to persuade head coach Rahul Dravid to stay on but ultimately failed.
Dravid had made it clear on Monday that the T20 World Cup will be his last assignment with the Indian team, as he plans to step down from the head role he took on in November of 2021.
The BCCI invited applications to apply for the role last month with May 27 as the deadline. Plenty of high profile names have been linked with the role including Gambhir, Ricky Ponting, Justin Langer, Stephen Fleming among others.
Reports in the media claim that Gambhir is the frontrunner for the top job but there hasn’t been any official word from the former India batter or the BCCI if he has even applied for the job.
“I tried convincing him (Dravid) to stay, but obviously there are a lot of things that he needs to look after as well. But yeah, I personally enjoyed my time with him,” stated an emotional Rohit Sharma.
“I’m sure the rest of the guys will say the same. It’s been great working with him. And I’m not going to say anything actually. I’m not going to say anything,” said an emotional Rohit when asked if the team has planned a farewell for him.
The swashbuckling opener even reminisced about his relationship with Dravid, which goes back all the way to 2007 when Rohit made his debut for India, and also heaped praise on the inspiration and guidance Dravid had shed onto him throughout his career and life.
“He was my first international captain when I made my debut in Ireland. Then I’ve seen him play while I was just coming into the team (for) Test matches when he was captain. And such a big role model for all of us,” said Rohit ahead of India’s World Cup opener against Ireland on Wednesday.
“Growing up, we watched him play and we know what he has achieved, personally as a player and also what he’s done for the team over the years. Battling out the team from difficult situations and that is what he’s known for,” he said referring to the ‘Wall’.
Despite India’s inability to claim any silverware under Dravid’s reign, Rohit believes that it’s been nothing short of a fruitful period for Indian cricket.
“He’s shown a lot of great determination throughout his career and that is something that when he came here as a coach, I wanted to learn from him.
“It’s been very fruitful. Other than the big silver (trophy), we won all the major tournaments and series. I’ve enjoyed every bit of it, working with him, deciding what direction the team needs to head.
“And for him to buy into that thought, obviously makes a huge difference. And he was the first one who came and said, ‘this is what we need to do as a team’. No matter what happens, but at least we’ll give it a good shot at it when he arrived,” added Rohit.
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