Rahul Dravid provided a glimpse into the Indian dressing room following the team’s tragic defeat in the World Cup final on Sunday night. “There is disappointment in the dressing room, and there is disappointment among the boys and among the support staff,” India’s head coach remarked of the mood in the locker room following Australia’s shockingly stunning one-sided victory over the host team.
“There was a lot of emotion in that locker room.” “It was difficult to watch as a coach,” Dravid stated after the game. Rohit Sharma was spotted holding back his emotions as he walked off the field after the game, and he did well not to let his emotions get the best of him. However, Dravid admitted that it was difficult for him to witness the players in such a state of mind.
“I know how hard these guys have worked, how much effort they’ve put in, and how many sacrifices they’ve made.” So it’s difficult. As a coach, it’s difficult to see that because you get to know these kids on a personal level. “You get to see the effort they put in, the hard work we’ve put in,” India’s coach added, looking depressed. “But that’s part of the game.” That occurs. It is possible. And the day belonged to the better squad. And I’m confident that the sun will rise tomorrow morning. We’ll take what we can from it. We’ll think about it. And, like everyone else, we’ll go on. But, after the dust settles, I believe we will be able to reflect on what has been a fantastic campaign.”
One of the best aspects of his tenure has been his ideal chemistry with skipper Rohit, and Dravid praised the captain’s leadership abilities as well as the attacking style of cricket he has played in the tournament. “He’s been an exceptional leader,” said Dravid. “Rohit has done an outstanding job leading this team. He has the dressing room, in my opinion. I just think he’s given the boys so much of his time and energy in the locker room. He’s always been available for any of our discussions or meetings.
“Sometimes there’s a lot of planning and strategy that goes into it.” He’s always been dedicated to those goals. He has devoted a significant amount of his personal time and energy to this endeavor. I felt his batting was terrific, as was the way he set the tone for us. We were clear about how we intended to play. We wanted to play positive, attacking cricket. And he was determined to succeed. And he wanted to set a good example. And I felt he did an excellent job of it throughout the tournament. And, yes, I cannot speak highly enough of him as a person and as a leader.”
Dravid has been a reluctant coach, and there is speculation that he would resign and not continue in this job. There is also speculation of VVS Laxman taking charge. But Dravid claims he hasn’t had time to think about his future.
“I haven’t considered it (continuation).” I’ve just finished a game. I don’t have time to think about it or ponder on it. Yes, I will when I have the opportunity. But, at the moment, I was entirely focused on this campaign. It was all about the World Cup, and I couldn’t think of anything else. And I haven’t thought about what might happen in the future,” the coach continued, leaving the subject open-ended.
Dravid also addressed India’s failure in the final hurdle of the ICC competitions, as well as the perception of failure in the final. “I can’t believe we played this tournament in terror. We were on 80 runs in 10 overs in our final match. We were going down by wickets. When wickets are lost, you must alter your approach and tactics. We demonstrated that in this competition. We played differently after we lost to England. You must engage in play. Begin with front foot cricket. And we didn’t play anything out of fear in this match, in the final,” the former India captain declared at one point.
In response to a similar query on why India has not won an ICC trophy in ten years, Dravid stated that there cannot be a single cause for this. “I suppose if I knew the answer, I’d say that.” But honestly, to be honest, I don’t know,” he admitted. Under his leadership, India advanced to the semifinals of the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, lost the World Test Championship final in the United Kingdom, and now finished second in the World Cup.
“There’s not one particular reason you can pin it down to,” he went on to say. “I didn’t feel any nerves, or that the guys were intimidated by the game, or that they were concerned about the game, at any point leading up to this game.” They were looking forward to it, and we were looking forward to the game. I think there was a lot of enthusiasm, and the boys’ mental state going up to this game was fantastic. “We probably didn’t execute on the day, and Australia played better than us,” he struggled to explain.
