Veteran commentator Aakash Chopra has applauded Rahul Dravid for India’s consistent run in global events during his tenure as head coach as well. Team India reached the World Test Championship and ODI World Cup finals last year before winning the recently concluded T20 World Cup as well. India beat South Africa by seven runs in the 2024 T20 World Cup final in Barbados on Saturday, June 29 as well. Notably, it was Dravid’s last stint at the helm as well.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra said, “He started with under-19, remained with the India A team, and then came with this team. This team has reached the final of the last three ICC events and you won the Asia Cup. You reached the WTC final, the team remained consistently as No. 1, reached the ODI World Cup final, and won the T20 World Cup final. Good things happen to good people. Your heart is satiated if such things happen. The team Rahul Dravid created has disintegrated slightly in this format because three retirements have come one after the other but he provided stability and clarity of thought.”
However, the former India player also lauded Dravid for the stability he provided. Chopra stated that Dravid handled the senior players extremely well, saying that a coach can become a bit too demanding and bossy at times. He further added that the tactical decisions taken by Rohit Sharma and Dravid turned out well for the team also.
“Rahul Dravid’s legacy is not the last day. His legacy is that he started working with the under-19s. Then he had the option to become an IPL coach. In the IPL, you get more money, have less work, it’s more glamorous, and you are appreciated and admired more. Life is a lot easier. You can be with your family for 10 months and spend two months in the IPL. However, he said ‘no’. He said he wanted to become the under-19 coach. He is Rahul Dravid, that is his legacy. He doesn’t take any shortcuts. He has always chosen the longer route which might not be very exciting and might require a lot of hard work,” Aakash Chopra concluded.
