[Watch] Indian players lift head coach Rahul Dravid as he leaves his role after 2024 T20 World Cup win
The Indian squad included departing head coach Rahul Dravid in the celebrations after a memorable 2024 T20 World Cup triumph in Barbados. The tournament marked the former skipper's final assignment with Team India, and the players gave him a farewell that will be quite hard to forget.
Dravid had missed out on a World Cup trophy as a player and came agonizingly close to winning one as a coach in the 2023 ODI World Cup. As a result, this triumph means much to Dravid. During the presentation, Virat Kohli invited Dravid to join the festivities, and the latter finally got to lift the elusive trophy.
Dravid was not spared in the celebrations that followed. The players lifted the coach, threw him in the air, and caught him, before doing it all over again. He had his trademark smile on throughout the time as well.
Have a look at the celebration right here:
Rahul Dravid's tenure originally ended with the 2023 ODI World Cup in India, but he signed a short extension until the 2024 T20 World Cup. The BCCI has begun the hunt for a new head coach.
"These bunch of boys have made it possible for me to win this trophy" - Rahul Dravid
Rahul Dravid replaced Ravi Shastri as head coach of the Indian side after the 2021 T20 World Cup. The former Indian skipper's stint will arguably be remembered fondly as he guided the team into the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final, the 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) final, and the 2023 ODI World Cup final.
Apart from the ICC events, he also has an Asia Cup title to his name, which was secured in 2023.
"As a player, I was not lucky enough to win a trophy but I always gave my best. However, it's part of the game. There are a lot of other players I know, who haven't won a trophy. I was lucky that I was given the opportunity to coach a team and these bunch of boys have made it possible for me to win this trophy. It's a great feeling but it's not like that I was in for some redemption and it was just a job that I was doing," Dravid said after India ended their dreaded ICC title drought via NDTV.
Dravid could potentially consider joining a coaching staff in the IPL now that his reign with the national side is over.