Rahul Dravid opens up about working with Rohit Sharma
New Delhi New Delhi: Former India head coach Rahul Dravid opened up about working with skipper Rohit Sharma after winning the T20 World Cup 2024 and said he loved working with Rohit and getting to know him more as a person. The Men in Blue returned to India after the historic win as T20 World champions. After winning the title, Rohit and Kohli – two Indian legends – announced their retirement from the shortest format of the game.
“I’ve really enjoyed working with Rohit. He’s someone I’ve known since childhood. To see him grow as a person, to see him grow as a leader in Indian cricket. He’s someone who has been able to contribute to the team as a player and now as a leader over the last 10-12 years. It’s a real tribute to him and the efforts he’s put in over the time he’s put in. I really enjoy knowing him as a person,” Dravid said in a video posted by BCCI.
Rohit finished the tournament with his career-best performance with the bat, scoring 257 runs in eight matches at an average of 36.71 and a strike rate of over 156. Finishing as the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament, Rohit scored three half-centuries, with his best score being 92 against arch-rivals Australia.
Rohit retired from the format after winning the T20 World Cup twice. He won the title in 2007 as a young and emerging player and is now the captain. Overall, Rohit scored 4,231 runs in 151 T20I matches at an average of 32.05 and a strike rate of over 140. He scored five centuries and 32 fifties in his career, with his best score being 121. Rohit is also the highest run-scorer in this format. Rahul Dravid also opened up about working with Virat Kohli and praised his desire to improve the game. “When he was the captain, I only got a chance to work with him in a few series and a few Test matches. I am getting to know him as well. It is interesting to see his desire to get better, his wish to get better,” the 51-year-old said. Recommended By Kohli also ended his T20I career on a high with the title win. He is also the highest run-scorer in T20 World Cup history. In 35 games, Kohli has scored 1,292 runs at an average of 58.72 and a strike rate of 128.81, including 15 half-centuries. His best score is 89.
Overall, Kohli has scored 4,188 runs in 125 T20I matches at an average of 48.69 and a strike rate of 137.04. He scored one century and 38 half-centuries with his best score being 122*. He ended the format as the second-highest run-scorer of all time.
India ended a 13-year drought of the ICC World Cup trophy by beating South Africa by seven runs in the T20 World Cup final on June 29. Virat was named Player of the Match for his valuable knock of 76 runs in the final. Bumrah, who picked up 15 wickets in the entire tournament at an impressive economy rate of 4.17, received the ‘Player of the Tournament’ honour. On Thursday morning, the T20 World Cup-winning Indian team arrived in the national capital Delhi to a rousing welcome from fans eagerly waiting to catch a glimpse of their favourite heroes and the trophy. After meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the players took out a victory parade in an open bus from Marine Drive in Mumbai to the iconic Wankhede Stadium. The champion team was also awarded prize money of Rs 125 crore by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) officials. The players also talked about their victory and the performance of key players in the T20 World Cup and danced heartily in front of a packed Wankhede Stadium. The players also took a victory lap to the tune of the country’s national song ‘Vande Mataram’ during the event. (ANI)
