It was 17 years ago that a World Cup in West Indies shattered the captain Rahul Dravid. On his last day as coach, the West Indies gave it back to him on Saturday. The humiliation of crashing out at the group stage of an ODI World Cup seemed like a long-forgotten memory as the legend was up in the air again, this time his players right there to hold him.
Rahul Dravid smilingly referred to himself as “unemployed” after India’s victory at Kensington Oval without ever having won an ICC trophy during his playing days; although he came close a few times.
He must have been terribly hurt as coach despite building a team that has for a while now been occupying the number one slot across formats when they were defeated in two finals; The World Test Championship and ODI World Cup. Barbados handed him back somethings but he does not want anyone calling it redemption.
“This is a memory for me throughout my life. But it’s not redemption; I don’t look at things like that. As player I was not lucky enough to win a trophy but I always knew I gave it my best. And I know many g reats who haven’t won a big prize. I was lucky to be given the coach’s job and it is a great to be part of a moment like this,” said Dravid. Who enjoyed the moment as he saw clouds covering up the sun.
One among India’s greatest batsmen ever, Dravid comes from another era altogether. His calm, unobtrusive style and deliberate manner are in contrast with young talent which sometimes behaves erratically. And even if you’re ‘the wall’, ideas don’t come easy on them especially when they’re superstars themselves.
Rohit Sharma – “my first international captain….” – probably acted as an intermediary between this group of younger generation players and their 51-year-old coach. According to skipper himself, it was difficult for Dravid to “curb his instincts on many occasions.”
“This boys don’t have the same wavelength, so Rahul bhai did not speak. He got what these guys wanted and made that his first priority. It is not easy for anybody to do all these things but Rahul bhai did it for the sake of the whole team. He understood what the boys needed and worked accordingly,” Rohit said.
Dravid agreed.
“Some things are different there as well. They’re fantastic talents; their energy levels and confidence are through the roof. We had to carry this confidence over into winning an ICC trophy which we hadn’t been able to achieve before. But all of us are getting a chance to celebrate because of them,” said Dravid as he signed off from his post.
No doubt, in Indian cricket, just like Ganguly-Wright, Dhoni-Kirsten and Kohli-Shastri pairings will never be forgotten, neither will Rohit-Dravid captain-coach duo be remembered by fans. The personal bond developed between them seemed very strong thus benefitting the team a lot. This is what Dravid claims he shall miss most among everything else.
“Let’s remain friends”, Dravid laughed. “But, really, Rohit as a person would be the most difficult thing to lose. It has been really moving for me the way he respected, cared and showed commitment to me. He is such an excellent captain and player who I will love the most ever.”
“What kind of legacy are you leaving?” The question had to be asked. Again, Dravid was in his element when he said that he “isn’t a legacy person”.
“I am happy we gave our best shot and lucky enough to work with such a very hardworking bunch of smart coaches. However, I feel happiest for those fans from India that keep coming back.”
Dravid said that next week he will “move on” and just go on with his life.
