"Indian dressing room today is one cohesive unit..." - Jay Shah pays glorious tribute to Rahul Dravid

BCCI secretary Jay Shah, on Tuesday (July 9), penned down a special message for outgoing head coach Rahul Dravid.

The former India captain's tenure came to an end after India's victory in the T20 World Cup final last month. Dravid had taken charge of the team in 2021, replacing former India opener Ravi Shastri. Under Dravid's coaching, India performed well across formats before winning the T20 World Cup to give a fitting farewell to the legendary cricketer.

He had taken charge as the head coach just after India were knocked out of the T20 World Cup 2021 at the group stage. India went from strength to strength across formats. In 2022, India made it to the semifinal of the T20 World Cup before qualifying for the final of the World Test Championship and the ODI World Cup last year.

India had received praise from all over for the brand of cricket they played in the ODI World Cup although the tournament ended with a heartbreaking defeat in the final for them. The Indian team finally managed to clinch an ICC trophy after a long gap of 11 years last month by winning the T20 World Cup and giving Dravid a fitting farewell gift.

With Dravid parting ways with the Indian team, Shah took to X to pay tribute to the legendary cricketer. Shah highlighted that India were a dominant force across formats under Dravid's guidance and also praised him for turning the Indian dressing room into a cohesive unit.

"I express my sincere thanks and gratitude to Mr Rahul Dravid whose highly successful tenure as the Head Coach draws to a close. Under his guidance, #TeamIndia emerged as a dominant force across formats, including being crowned ICC Men’s T20 World Cup champions!" wrote Shah.

"His strategic acumen, persistent efforts to nurture talent and exemplary leadership has instilled a culture of excellence within the team and that is also the legacy his leaves behind. The Indian dressing room today is one cohesive unit standing together through challenges while revelling in each other’s success," he added.

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Rahul Dravid's replacement:

Meanwhile, Gautam Gambhir has been announced as Rahul Dravid's replacement. Soon after paying tribute to Dravid, Shah confirmed Gambhir as Team India's new head coach. Gambhir is likely to start his tenure as the coach with the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka.

The former India opener is yet to coach a national or state team but has good coaching as well as leadership experience. Gambhir made a big impact as a captain in the IPL, leading Kolkata Knight Riders to two titles before impressing as a mentor too. In 2022 and 2023, he helped Lucknow Super Giants qualify for the playoffs before guiding KKR to the title this year.