Rahul Dravid on Rohit Sharma’s call that convinced him to continue as coach

Rahul Dravid stepped down as India coach after his first two-year stint ended at the end of last year’s ODI World Cup, where the team finished runners-up to Australia. Then Rohit Sharma called up the team and everything changed.

“Ro, thank you very much for calling me in November and asking me to continue,” Dravid, whose tenure ended after India won the 2024 T20 World Cup title, said in a video released by the BCCI.

“I think it’s been a real privilege and a pleasure to work with all of you, but Ro, thank you also for your time. We have a lot of time to discuss, we have to agree, we have to disagree sometimes, but thank you very much.”

As a coach, apart from winning the T20 World Cup, Dravid was in charge when India reached the World Test Championship final in June 2023 and the ODI World Cup final in November 2023.

In his moment of glory as a coach, Dravid said he did not believe in “redemption stories”. This was in response to a question on whether it was particularly satisfying to lift the World Cup on the same shores where India were knocked out of the ODI World Cup in the first round in 2007 with Dravid as the team captain.

“I’m not usually at a loss for words, but on a day like today, I couldn’t be more grateful to have been a part of this,” Dravid said. “For the respect, for the kindness, for the effort that each and every one of you has shown towards me, towards my coaching staff, towards my support team.

“You will all remember these moments. We always say it’s not about runs, it’s not about wickets, you never remember your career but you remember moments like this, so let’s really enjoy it.”

Dravid was carried by the entire team onto the field during the victory celebrations, with Virat Kohli and Rohit leading the way. Dravid and the selectors were responsible for the return of the two senior players to the T20I squad earlier this year, despite not having played in the format for a long time.

As they celebrated together, Dravid had a little message for Kohli: “All three whites are ticked. One red left. Tick it.” The reference being to India’s victories in the ODI World Cup in 2011, the Champions Trophy in 2013 and now the T20 World Cup, which Kohli played in, and the Test Championship, which India are yet to win despite reaching the final on both occasions so far.

Dravid’s successor is expected to be named soon. VVS Laxman is coaching the second-choice team that will play a five-T20I series in Zimbabwe starting July 6, and BCCI secretary Jay Shah has said the next coach will be named before the white-ball tour of Sri Lanka in late July. Gautam Gambhir is the favourite to be named head coach.

Last month, before the start of the T20 World Cup, Dravid had cited the hectic schedule as one of the main reasons why he did not reapply for the job. “Unfortunately, given the kind of schedules (that are in place in international cricket) and the situation I am in at this stage of my life, I don’t think I will be able to reapply,” he had said after India arrived in New York.