"He played just 1 T20I for India" - Irfan Pathan on Rahul Dravid's 'very special' 2024 T20 World Cup win as coach
Irfan Pathan reckons India's 2024 T20 World Cup win would be extremely special for Rahul Dravid. He pointed out that the former India captain played only one T20I during his illustrious career.
India lifted the 2024 T20 World Cup trophy after beating South Africa by seven runs in the final in Barbados on Saturday, June 29, in Dravid's last game as head coach. The 164-Test veteran scored 31 runs in the only T20I he played for the Men in Blue.
Speaking on Star Sports, Pathan opined that India's 2024 T20 World Cup win, that too in a format Dravid didn't get to play much, would be a dream fulfilled for the 2007 ODI World Cup captain.
"For him to win the World Cup as a coach was very special because he never won the World Cup. He always wanted to win the World Cup but he played just one T20I for India, and to be able to win the World Cup from that regard, it becomes so special," he said.
The former India all-rounder added that Dravid's post-match celebrations with the winning team will remain etched in his memory forever.
"He became one of them. He became a youngster. Rahul Dravid being thrown up in the air, we would not have imagined we would see something like this in our lifetime. Obviously, his life will be back to normal again but this moment will be remembered by Rahul Dravid forever because he certainly made the difference," Pathan observed.
Pathan noted that Dravid's stint as the National Cricket Academy (NCA) head would have helped him in his stint as India's head coach. He pointed out that there is a nice bridge of communication between the Indian team and the NCA and that he would have known everything about the side before joining them.
"Sometimes handling senior guys in the team is not easy" - Irfan Pathan on Rahul Dravid's role as head coach
Irfan Pathan pointed out Rahul Dravid played a crucial role in managing the senior players.
"Sometimes handling senior guys in the team is not easy. To make them comfortable, to make them believe that they are a part of the team, you have to take them forward. So he created that aura around the team as well," he explained.
The cricketer-turned-commentator added that Dravid had a great working relationship with Rohit Sharma.
"He was the one who pushed Rohit Sharma as far as the leadership is concerned. Rohit Sharma was the one who pushed Rahul Dravid to stay back as well for the T20 World Cup. So the kind of relationship he had with all the guys, especially the senior guys, was very special. Young guys will look up to Dravid, they are going to follow him anyways," he elaborated.
Dravid had decided to leave the head coach's position after India's loss to Australia in the 2023 ODI World Cup final. However, Rohit convinced him to continue in the role till the 2024 T20 World Cup, a decision which yielded rich dividends.