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June 29 marked an end of an era as Team India won their second T20 World Cup title. While skipper Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli announced their retirement from T20Is, Rahul Dravid’s tenure as head coach came to an end as well. Dravid did not hold back his emotions as India beat South Africa by seven runs at Kensington Oval, Barbados to lift the T20 World Cup trophy after a long wait of 17 years. The former India captain unleashed his inner ‘Indiranagar ka gunda’ as he celebrated the win.
After Indian players got the coveted ICC trophy, Kohli waited and handed it to the coach. Dravid showed a rare side of him as he lifted it with both hands and screamed at the top of his voice. He pumped the already excited team India as they joined Dravid in celebrations. Later, Kohli and Rohit lifted Dravid along with other players to give a farewell like the one given to legendary Sachin Tendulkar.
Dravid’s tenure as head coach
Dravid took over as head coach after India’s group stage exit from T20 World Cup 2021. Under him, India reached the semifinal of T20 World Cup 2022 where they were beaten by England. Then, India reached the World Test Championship (WTC) 2021-23 final where they suffered a loss against Australia. India hosted the ODI World Cup 2023 where they again suffered heartbreak as Pat Cummins’ Australia got the better of them. The 11-year drought came to an end as Rohit won his first trophy as Indian captain.
Earlier, when India reached the final after beating defending champions England led by Jos Buttler, the #DoItForDravid campaign started on social media. Dravid downplayed it and said that the team needs to win but not for him.
Rohit pays tribute to Dravid
However, Rohit hailed Dravid in the post-match press conference and said that this was the only thing missing in the 51-year-old’s cabinet.
"Rahul Dravid, more than anyone of us, deserved the World Cup trophy. What he has done for Indian cricket for the past 20-25 years... I think this was the only thing that was left in his cabinet. Very happy from all of us, on behalf of the entire team, that we could do this for him. You saw how proud he was and how excited he was," said the 36-year-old.
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