Former India coach Rahul Dravid also spoke about the time he spent working with the ODI skipper Rohit Sharma, saying that he provides a good environment around the team. He added Rohit was well synchronised with his players, maintained a light tone in the dressing room, and made his objectives transparent in the process of displaying a lot of interest in the players.
Dravid credited Rohit about his leadership style which suited his style of coaching. He felt the skipper needed to be on the forefront and Rohit had a clear way of thinking and he was comfortable enough to be at the forefront. Their collaboration was successful as there were no big differences in their performance, as well as led India to the World Cup 2023 final.
“I always felt he deeply cared about the team. Right from the first day, he was very clear about how he wanted to run the team and what was important to him. I think it’s really important in a relationship between a captain and coach. I always believed it should be the captain’s team,” said Dravid on Ravichandran Ashwin’s YouTube Channel.
“I have been a player and a captain as well. A captain has to lead the team in terms of the direction he wants to go in. You have to help him in that. And of course, you need to help a captain in terms of helping him get clarity and understanding what’s required.”
Rahul Dravid
Rahul Dravid also revealed that Rohit was instrumental in getting him to stay as head coach after he mulled quitting down following the 2023 World Cup final defeat. Dravid stayed on because of the captain’s encouragement, and the two went on to make history by leading India to victory in the 2024 T20 World Cup in Barbados, which ended the team’s 11-year wait for an ICC trophy.
“With Rohit, I thought he was very clear in what he wanted from the team, how he wanted the environment to be, how he wanted the atmosphere to be. I think his experience helped him set these things. For me, it was just working with him, challenging him at times on certain things, but also working with him to ensure that he was able to be comfortable in that space.”
Rahul Dravid
“Once he was comfortable in that space, I knew he was going to perform and get everyone else to perform. Also, one of the things with him is he was very calm, he connected really with the team, and didn’t go up and down too much. At least, he never gave me that impression. He maintained that balance and calmness.”
Rahul Dravid
Dravid valued the bond he shared with Rohit Sharma, recalling the many meaningful conversations they had on and off the field. Their friendship grew beyond cricket, and in a farewell note to Dravid, Rohit even revealed that his wife Ritika jokingly referred to the coach as his “work wife” — a lighthearted way of capturing the closeness of their relationship.
“More than anything, I really enjoyed getting to know him as a person, chatting with him. We were comfortable to be able to sit and have conversations with each other without having to talk only about cricket. It was easy to sit and meet with him and have dinner. It wasn’t forced. That was nice.”
Rahul Dravid
“Having seen him as a young kid, an U19 kid, giving him his first cap and then seeing him grow as a leader was really nice. His whole strength was his ability to emotionally connect with players. You experienced that. I think you (Ashwin) enjoyed being able to talk to him and challenge him and know he wouldn’t get upset.”
Rahul Dravid
