‘Great gesture from Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’: Rahul Dravid’s former teammate praises Indian stalwarts after trophy celebrations

It was a rare sight to see Rahul Dravid express his emotions on a cricket field after India won the 2024 T20 World Cup. The joyous celebration was a highlight of Dravid finally getting his hands on a world title after coming close three times before – once as a player and twice as India’s head coach.

Dravid was part of India’s 2003 ODI World Cup team that lost to Australia in the final. At the 2007 ODI World Cup, he was the captain when India suffered a shock first-round exit.

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After taking over as head coach, under Dravid, India reached the title fights of the World Test Championship (2023) and the ODI World Cup (2023). However, on both occasions, they finished as runners-up.

The wait finally came to an end in June this year when India defeated South Africa in a thrilling final at Kensington Oval in Barbados.

Batting legend VVS Laxman was overjoyed to see his former Indian teammate celebrating the victory and also praised Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for handing over the trophy to their coach.

“Someone like Rahul, with whom I have played so much cricket, known him for so many years, but for him to show those emotions, first when the last ball was bowled and then during the various conversations he had with the team members and when he held the trophy aloft,” Laxman told BCCI.

“I thought it was a great gesture from Rohit and Virat Kohli to hand over the trophy to him (Dravid) and the way he celebrated by holding the trophy aloft showed how much it meant to each of them,” he added.

Laxman praised the resilience of the Indian team, which came back after South Africa seemed to have the chase under complete control when they needed 30 out of 30 runs.

“The kind of finish we had after coming under pressure from South African batters who needed 30 runs from 30 balls, and from there showing character, resilience and confidence to pull the game from the jaws of defeat, it shows the character of the entire team,” said Laxman, who is currently coaching an Indian T20I team on the tour of Zimbabwe.

“The amount of hard work they put in, the celebrations (by the players and support staff) told the bigger story behind this victory. It’s obviously a special feeling to win the World Cup. When you play against the best and win the trophy, it means a lot to all the players who take part in the tournament,” he added.

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Several Indian stars, including Rohit, Kohli and all-rounder Hardik Pandya, broke down in tears after winning the title.

“Everyone showed their emotions and it showed how much it meant to every player in the squad, and also to the support staff. The emotions were really high. You saw Hardik Pandya breaking down when he bowled the last ball. You saw Rohit Sharma lying on the ground,” Laxman said.

Several Indian stars, including Rohit, Kohli and all-rounder Hardik Pandya, broke down in tears after winning the title.

“Everyone showed their emotions and it showed how much it meant to every player in the squad, and also to the support staff. The emotions were really high. You saw Hardik Pandya breaking down when he bowled the last ball. You saw Rohit Sharma lying on the ground,” Laxman said.