India created history in Barbados on June 29, 2024 as they clinched the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup after a wait of 17 long years, also their first ICC title in 11 years. They defeated South Africa in a thrilling final that will be remembered for ages to come.
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The players were ecstatic and so was the head coach of the team, Rahul Dravid, who will be stepping down from the post following India’s brilliant performances throughout the tournament.
Dravid would have been long gone though, had the skipper Rohit Sharma not convinced ‘The Wall’ to stay for a little longer. Dravid himself revealed it in a heartfelt farewell speech following India’s win against South Africa that it was Rohit who convinced him to stay following India’s loss to Australia in the ODI World Cup Final 2023.
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‘Thankyou for making that call back in November’ - Dravid
Following the heartbreaking loss against Australia on November 19, 2023 the whole team was left devastated in front of the home crowd in Ahmedabad. The Men in Blue were so close to sealing the perfect World Cup, having won all of their 10 games in the tournament previously.
Just like the team, the coach was devastated as well and had made up his mind of stepping down but it was the skipper who convinced him to stay a little longer, and in the end it all worked out perfectly for them. India didn;t just win the T20 World Cup, they did it in some style as they became the only team in history to win the competition undefeated.
Just like to say, Ro (Rohit) thank you so much for making that call back in November and asking me to continue. I think it's been a privilege and pleasure to work with each and everyone of you, but also to Ro, thanks for the time. I know as a captain and a coach there’s a lot of times we have to chat, we have to discuss, we have to agree and disagree at times, but thank you so very much.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝗿𝗲-𝗪𝗔𝗟𝗟! 🫡
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 2, 2024
The sacrifices, the commitment, the comeback 🏆
📽️ #TeamIndia Head Coach Rahul Dravid's emotional dressing room speech in Barbados 👌👌 #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/vVUMfTZWbc
Dravid’s coaching tenure got the perfect send off with India lifting the cup and putting an end to over a decade long curse. The new coach of the team is likely to be the former Indian opener, Gautam Gambhir who recently mentored IPL side Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to a title winning season.
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India will now be focusing on the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) games and the ICC Champions Trophy that kicks-off in February 2025 in Pakistan.
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