“I think it’s been such a privilege and a pleasure to work with each and every one of you, but Ro, also thanks for the time. There is a lot of time we have to chat, we have to discuss, we have to agree, we have to disagree at times, but thank you so very much.”
In his moment of glory as coach, Dravid said he didn’t believe in “redemption stories”. That was in response to a question on whether it was particularly satisfying to lift the World Cup on the same shores where India were dumped out of the ODI World Cup in the first round in 2007 with Dravid the team’s captain.
“I’m not usually short of words but on a day like today, for me to be part of this, I could not be more grateful,” Dravid said. “For the respect, for the kindness, for the effort that each and everyone of you have shown to me, to my coaching staff, to my support staff.
“All of you will remember these moments. We always say, it is not about the runs, it is not about the wickets, you never remember your career but you remember moments like this, so let’s really enjoy.”
As they celebrated together, Dravid had a small message for Kohli: “All three whites ticked off. One red to go. Tick it.” The reference being to India’s wins in the ODI World Cup in 2011, the Champions Trophy in 2013 and now the T20 World Cup, all of which Kohli was a part of, and the Test championship, which India haven’t won yet despite reaching the final on both occasions so far.
Last month, prior to the start of the T20 World Cup, Dravid had cited the packed calendar as a major reason for not reapplying for the job. “Unfortunately, just the kind of schedules [that are in place in international cricket] and where I find myself in this stage in my life, I don’t think I’ll be able to reapply,” he had said upon India’s arrival in New York.
