“My best memories are the connections I’ve built,” said outgoing head coach Rahul Dravid as he and his team prepare for the T20 World Cup final against South Africa at Kensington Oval on Saturday.

Dravid, who felt devastated after India’s early exit from the 2007 ODI World Cup as captain, is now on the brink of a remarkable farewell as coach. He took over from Ravi Shastri after the 2021 T20 World Cup and has been with the team for almost three years. In a promotional video shared by the BCCI, the 51-year-old said coaching the Indian team was a valuable learning experience for him and his family.

Dravid’s Final Game: A Coach’s Reflection

🗣️🗣️“𝐅𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭”

An eventful coaching journey in the words of #TeamIndia Head Coach Rahul Dravid, who highlights the moments created beyond the cricketing field ✨👏

𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙎𝙤𝙤𝙣 on… pic.twitter.com/iiSb3LxgZ1

— BCCI (@BCCI) June 28, 2024

Dravid praised the team’s professionalism in both victories and defeats during his tenure. Before the current T20 World Cup, Dravid led the team to the finals of both the ICC World Test Championship and the home 50-over World Cup last year, though they lost to Australia each time.

India’s captain, Rohit Sharma mentioned he tried to convince Dravid to stay on as coach but was unsuccessful. Rohit called Dravid “a big role model”.

“I’ve enjoyed every bit of working with him,” said Rohit, who has both played under and alongside Dravid for India. “I tried convincing him to stay, but he has many other commitments to attend to.

“I’ve personally enjoyed my time with him, and I’m sure the rest of the team feels the same. It’s been great working with him.”

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