Rahul Dravid claims India were just lucky to win the T20 World Cup 2024
Published - 22 Aug 2024, 10:59 AM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 01:18 AM
Former Team India head coach Rahul Dravid opened up about the “team atmosphere” during the ODI World Cup 2023 at home. Rahul Dravid highlighted how the energetic and positive atmosphere developed during the ODI World Cup played a pivotal role in India's success in the T20 World Cup 2024.
India had an impressive run in the 2023 ODI World Cup. The Men in Blue won all nine group-stage matches and the semifinal against New Zealand to advance to the summit clash. However, the Rohit Sharma-led team suffered a heartbreaking defeat in a one-sided encounter against Australia in Ahmedabad.
Rahul Dravid managed to maintain the winning atmosphere within the team after the World Cup final defeat. The Men in Blue remained unbeaten and secured the title in the T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA and Caribbean Islands. Dravid ended his tenure as Team India's head coach on a high note with a triumph.
Didn't Want To Anything Different - Rahul Dravid
Speaking on Wednesday, Rahul Dravid highlighted that they had a fantastic campaign in the 2023 ODI World Cup despite suffering a heartbreaking loss in the final against Australia.
“Honestly, I didn’t want to do anything different. I think we ran a fantastic campaign in the one-day World Cup, Rohit and the team, everyone involved in that one-day World Cup, we ran a superb campaign,” Dravid said at the Ceat Cricket Rating Awards here.
“There's nothing we could have done more in terms of our preparation, the planning, the execution of what we needed to do for 10 games in a row to dominate, to win the game we did, play the game we did,” he added.
I Did Not Want To Change Anything - Rahul Dravid
Rahul Dravid said that his coaching staff maintained a positive atmosphere from the ODI World Cup. The former Indian captain stated that this approach benefited their T20 campaign, adding that consistency contributed to India’s victory.
“I did not want to change anything. If you'd asked me and we had a discussion with our support staff, we'd get together with the coaches and say, what do you think we should do differently?
“The common consensus (among the team) was we need to do exactly what we did. We need to create the same energy, create the same vibe, the same team atmosphere that we had, and then just hope that on the day, we'll have a little bit of luck," Dravid concluded.
The 51-year-old had never won an ICC trophy as a player in his illustrious career. The former right-handed batter was part of the Indian team that reached the 2003 ODI World Cup final under Sourav Ganguly. He achieved a memorable milestone by coaching India to the T20 World Cup victory in June this year.
Dravid might rejoin the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He has a strong relationship with the Royals as a former captain and mentor. The former batter is reportedly set to join the team as head coach for the upcoming season.
Also read: Gautam Gambhir picks three Pakistan cricketers in all-time World XI he has played against
