Credits:Twitter X
Veteran Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin praised head coach Rahul Dravid’s leadership ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024 final against South Africa. Ashwin urged the team under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy to maintain their winning momentum and clinch victory in the upcoming match.
Rahul Dravid’s tenure as India’s head coach will conclude after the T20 World Cup 2024 held in the West Indies and the USA. Dravid has chosen not to seek a second term in the position. His final assignment with the Indian team will be the match against South Africa in Barbados on Saturday, June 29.
Under Rahul Dravid’s guidance, the Indian team has excelled in various cricket formats but has fallen short of capturing an ICC trophy. As Dravid gets ready to step down after the T20 World Cup 2024, the #DoItForDravid campaign has garnered momentum ahead of the final match, aiming to send him off with a win against South Africa as a fitting farewell.
Rahul Dravid Turns It Down In A Classy Manner – Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin expressed his thoughts on X (formerly known as Twitter), cautioning against the damaging effects of narratives on team dynamics. He emphasized that such narratives could severely impact a team’s healthy environment. Ashwin called for the team to maintain focus on working together collectively to achieve victory in the final match.
“Narratives of building it up for someone in a team sport is the worst thing that can happen for a healthy team environment. I know this man really well and despite being offered the narrative, he turns it down in a classy manner. Let’s fight once more,” Ashwin wrote on X.
Just Want To Play Good Cricket – Rahul Dravid
Rahul Dravid responded to the #DoItForDravid campaign, emphasizing that he doesn’t endorse the idea of playing for someone else. The Team India head coach expressed his focus on winning the T20 World Cup purely for the nation rather than any external motivation.
“I just want to play good cricket and yeah, doing it for someone is totally against who I am as a person and what I believe in. So, I don’t want to talk about it and discuss it. I don’t really believe in this ‘Do it for somebody’.
“I love that quote about somebody asking somebody else, ‘Why do you want to climb Mount Everest?’ and he says ‘I want to climb Mount Everest because it’s there’. I want to win this World Cup because it’s there. It’s not for anyone, it’s not for anybody, it’s just there to win,” Dravid told Star Sports ahead of the final.
Taking over as India’s coach in November 2021 after succeeding Ravi Shastri, the 51-year-old Rahul Dravid guided the team to the finals of both the World Test Championship and the ODI World Cup last year.
During his playing career, Rahul Dravid, despite his illustrious achievements, never clinched a World Cup title. India’s closest opportunity came in the 2003 ODI World Cup final, where they fell short against Australia.Currently, the BCCI is actively seeking a new head coach, with former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir reportedly a frontrunner for a three-year contract across all formats.
