[Watch] "Well done, Rahul!"- Rahul Dravid praises himself on usage of Urdu word; bursts into laughter ahead of India's T20 World Cup 2024 campaign
Team India head coach Rahul Dravid has predominantly spoken in English in most of his interviews. However, he was thrilled to make the right use of an Urdu word while responding to a question in Hindi at a recent press conference ahead of India's T20 World Cup opener.
A reporter asked Dravid about the prospect of India facing Ireland on June 5 and whether complacency could creep in for the Men in Blue. Denying any such issue, the coach said in the pre-match presser:
"Iss format mein, ye format hi yehi hai ki aap kisiko nazarandaaz ya lightly nahi le sakte (This format itself is such that you just cannot overlook anyone or take anyone lightly)."
As soon as Rahul Dravid used the word 'nazarandaaz', he was impressed with himself and also showed off his sense of humour with a cheeky one-liner. He added:
"Waah! Not bad. Well done, Rahul! (Laughs)"
Here's the video:
Dravid also confirmed in the press conference that the T20 World Cup 2024 would be his final assignment as India's head coach. He confirmed that he wouldn't be re-applying for the job and expressed his gratitude to have worked with quality Indian players in his tenure of almost three years.
Rohit Sharma confirmed his failed attempt to convince Rahul Dravid
Indian captain Rohit Sharma also spoke to the reporters ahead of the game against Ireland and revealed that he had tried to convince Rahul Dravid to re-apply for the coaching job. However, Rohit also wanted to respect Dravid's decision on wanting to focus on other facets of life. Here's what the captain said in the pre-match press conference:
"I tried convincing him to stay, but obviously, there are a lot of things that he needs to look after as well. But yeah, I've personally enjoyed my time with him. I'm sure the rest of the guys will say the same. It's been great working with him and I hope…I'm not going to say anything, actually. I'm not going to say anything."
Rohit seemed to have gotten a bit emotional while speaking about Rahul Dravid and the impact that the latter had on his career both as a senior player and then as a coach. Team India would want to give Dravid a dream send-off by winning the T20 World Cup 2024.