Skipper Rohit Sharma has asserted that the Indian team has to win the World Cup trophy for their head coach Rahul Dravid who missed out on the coveted trophy during his playing days. Dravid was part of India’s 2003 World Cup team which lost the final to Australia, he also led the side in the 2007 showpiece event where they suffered a humiliating exit in the group stage.
However, Dravid has now played a crucial role in India’s journey to their fourth World Cup final this year with his work behind the scenes as a head coach.
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Ahead of the mega final against Australia, Rohit talked about Dravid’s massive role in the team in terms of giving clarity to the players.
“His [Dravid’s] role has been absolutely massive in terms of getting that clarity which I keep talking about,” Rohit stated in the press conference.
The skipper pointed out that his and Dravid’s style of play are quite contrasting but the coach still gave him the freedom to express himself with an ultra-attacking approach with the bat.
“It’s one thing for me to think about and another thing for the coach to not agree to certain things. Clearly, looking at how Rahul bhai himself has played his cricket and how I play these days is quite contrasting. For him to agree and give me that freedom and liberty to go and play like that says a lot about him,” he added.
Rohit suggested that the head coach passed on the message to the players and stood by them when India lost the semi-final of the 2022 T20 World Cup.
“Also the way he has stood by the players in difficult times, especially during and after the T20 World Cup,” Rohit added. “We had a good run up until the semi-finals and then we lost. And how he reacted to certain situations and informed the players about how we want to play says a lot about him as well,” he said.
The skipper talked about Dravid’s contribution to Indian cricket and suggested that it’s now the players’ job to do it win the coveted trophy for him.
“And obviously what he has done for Indian cricket is massive. He too feels that he wants to be a part of this big occasion. It’s for us to do it for him,” he added.
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