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Hardik Pandya expressed his delight at Rahul Dravid concluding his tenure as India’s head coach with a victorious note, following India’s triumph over South Africa in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 final. Pandya praised Dravid, highlighting his enjoyment of working under the former cricketer whom he described as a remarkable individual.
Under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, India ended their long-awaited ICC trophy drought by defeating South Africa at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on June 29. Despite a challenging match, India successfully defended their target of 176 runs against Aiden Markram’s team, clinching the title in a thrilling encounter.
Rahul Dravid’s term as head coach concluded after the T20 World Cup 2024 held in the West Indies and the United States. Dravid, who chose not to reapply for the position, achieved a significant milestone by guiding Team India to victory in the tournament. Notably, while Dravid did not win a World Cup as a player, he celebrated winning the trophy as head coach of the national team.
Reflecting on Rahul Dravid’s departure after the match, Hardik Pandya expressed his happiness at giving the former coach a memorable farewell. He also conveyed gratitude towards the support staff for their contributions.
“Very happy for him (Dravid), he’s been a wonderful man, really enjoyed working with him, to give him a farewell like this is wonderful, have had a very good relationship with him and became friends. Very happy for all the support staff,” Hardik said.
Rahul Dravid assumed the role of Team India’s head coach in November 2021, appointed by former BCCI President Sourav Ganguly. Dravid brought with him extensive coaching experience from his work with junior teams, the National Cricket Academy, and his stints in the IPL. Throughout his tenure, Dravid has silenced his critics with notable achievements.
Under Dravid’s guidance, the Men in Blue reached the final of ICC tournaments across all three formats in the past year. They were finalists in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 and the ODI World Cup 2023. Despite these achievements, the team faced heartbreaking defeats to Australia in both instances.
Reflecting on the emotional victory, Hardik Pandya played a pivotal role in turning the match in India’s favor by dismissing Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller in crucial stages. Pandya emphasized the team’s unwavering belief in their abilities throughout the game. He described the win as deeply emotional, particularly after navigating through a challenging six-month period.
“It means a lot. Very emotional, we’d been working very hard and something was not clicking. But today we got what the whole nation wanted. More special for me, how my last 6 months were, I haven’t spoken a word. I knew that if I kept working hard I could shine and do what I could do. Getting an opportunity like this makes it more special. We always believed it was just about executing our plans and staying calm and letting the pressure come to them,” Pandya said.
