NEW DELHI: India's head coach
Rahul Dravid
expressed immense pride after India clinched the
T20 World Cup
title with a nail-biting seven-run victory over South Africa, ending an 11-year ICC title drought.
Dravid, who never won a world championship during his own illustrious playing career, lauded his team for their perseverance and belief under tough conditions.
"I really have felt short of words over the last few hours. I just could not be more proud of this team, the way we had to fight difficult situations," Dravid said. "Even today I think it was a great testimony... for the team to lose three wickets in the first six overs, to be in the kind of position we were in, but the boys just kept fighting, they kept believing."
Dravid endured a disappointing first-round exit in the 2007 ODI World Cup in the Caribbean under his captaincy, but he chose to focus on future possibilities rather than past failures.
"Firstly, there is no redemption. I am not one of those guys who thinks about redemption and those kinds of things. There are a lot of other players I know who have not been able to win a trophy," Dravid was quoted as saying by PTI.
This victory in Barbados capped off Dravid's coaching journey, which began in September 2021. "This is a journey of (over) two years, this is not a journey of this T20 World Cup, the construction of this team, the kind of skills we wanted, players we wanted, discussions started when I started in September 2021."
Dravid, who is stepping down as head coach following this victory, described the title as a career highlight. "Just phenomenal, just lovely to be a part of a dressing room like this. It's a memory of a lifetime for me, so I am thankful and grateful to the team and the support staff who have made this possible."
Reflecting on his relationship with team captain
Rohit Sharma
, Dravid was heartfelt. "I will miss him as a person, forget the cricket, forget the captain and everything. I just hope we will still be friends."
Dravid expressed optimism about the future of Indian cricket, noting the exceptional talent of current players.
"Today's players are fantastic talents in Indian cricket. Their confidence, their energy, they are on a different level at this point of time. We have been trying to win an ICC trophy for a long time, and I am very hopeful that they will carry this confidence forward and help Indian cricket win many more trophies in the next five-six years," Dravid said.
As Dravid leaves his role, he is confident in the team's potential for continued success. "The ability and talent this bunch of boys have is tremendous. There were moments when we felt that we were not able to win a big trophy despite giving our best. But today, I can say with confidence that they will continue the good work and win more trophies going ahead."
Ending on a lighter note, Dravid humorously acknowledged his departure. "I will be able to move on quickly from this win, next week I will be unemployed (laughs). I don't want to think too far ahead, but yes, I hope, I will be able to move on. I think that's what life is all about."
English (US) ·