File photo of Rahul Dravid.© YEARS
It was a dream end to Rahul Dravid‘s India coaching career as he left the role with a T20 World Cup title to cherish. Dravid took over from Ravi Shastri as the coach of the Indian cricket team. The side played two ICC finals — the World Test Championship and the ODI World Cup — in 2023 but failed to win any. The T20 World Cup summit clash in Barbados was Dravid’s third ICC final as the coach of Indian cricket team, but this time destiny had some other plans for him.
It was Dravid’s last match as the head coach of the Indian cricket team as his tenure was ending after that. With South Africa needing 27 to win off 28 balls with 6 wickets in hand, it seemed that Dravid might remain empty handed. As fate would have it, India turned the game on its head to win it with a narrow seven-run margin.
After a superb finish to his India coaching, Dravid even received a congratulatory message from ex-India coach Greg Chappell, who got infamous following the team’s 2007 ODI World Cup debacle.
“Congratulations to India on winning the T20 World Cup. I am particularly pleased for Rahul for being part of the victory,” Chappell, who worked closely with Dravid during his tenure as India coach, told Mid-Day.
“His passion for Indian cricket has always been plain to see, so for him to have been an integral part of the planning for this win must be particularly satisfying for him. It is a wonderful way for him to finish his time with the team,” Chappell added.
Team India on June 29 ended its 11-year-old ICC trophy drought by winning the T20 World Cup 2024. It was the side’s first world title in the shortest format after a gap of 17 years.
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