Gautam Gambhir and Sourav Ganguly overcame a rare Sachin Tendulkar batting failure when India squared off against Ireland in the one-off One Day International at Belfast back in 2007. For the unversed, youngster Rohit Sharma made his One Day International (ODI) in the Ireland encounter. Rohit was way behind the pecking order in the Indian lineup at the time. Both Rohit and then skipper Rahul Dravid did not get to bat in the one-sided contest against Ireland. Sharing the locker room with Dravid and idolising the Wall in his initial years, Rohit went on to establish himself as a premier batter.
Fast-forwarding the clock to the present, Ganguly has endorsed Gambhir for the coaching role while Rohit is captaining the Indian T20 World Cup side in Dravid's final assignment as the head coach. In his first press conference ahead of India's T20 World Cup opener against Ireland, head coach Dravid confirmed that he will not reapply for the high-profile job. A day later, skipper Rohit addressed the media on the eve of India's curtain-raiser against Ireland in New York.
"He was my first international captain when I made my debut in Ireland. Then I've seen him play while I was just coming into the team (for) Test matches when he was captain. And such a big role model for all of us," Rohit told reporters. "Growing up, we watched him play and we know what he has achieved, personally as a player and also what he's done for the team over the years. Battling out the team from difficult situations and that is what he's known for," the Indian skipper added.
{{/usCountry}}"He was my first international captain when I made my debut in Ireland. Then I've seen him play while I was just coming into the team (for) Test matches when he was captain. And such a big role model for all of us," Rohit told reporters. "Growing up, we watched him play and we know what he has achieved, personally as a player and also what he's done for the team over the years. Battling out the team from difficult situations and that is what he's known for," the Indian skipper added.
{{/usCountry}}Under Dravid's watch, Rohit and Co. have failed to win a major ICC trophy. Team India recorded a perfect ten at the 2023 World Cup. However, Rohit’s Team India lost the final to Australia to extend its trophyless run in ICC events. Arriving in the US for the T20 World Cup, Rohit and Co. warmed up for the ICC event with a comfortable win over Bangladesh. India will get its campaign underway with the Group A game against Ireland at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.
‘I tried convincing Dravid to stay, but…’: Rohit gets emotional
With Dravid confirming his exit in the build-up to the Ireland game, Rohit got visibly emotional while talking about the outgoing head coach. "I tried convincing him to stay, but obviously there are a lot of things that he needs to look after as well. But yeah, I personally enjoyed my time with him. I'm sure the rest of the guys will say the same. It's been great working with him. And I'm not going to say anything actually. I'm not going to say anything," Rohit added.
Dravid's journey as India head coach
The Dravid-coached Team India secured the Asia Cup title for the record eighth time last year. During his stint, India also registered famous series wins over England and Australia at home. With Dravid as head coach, Team India has played 71 matches in the shortest format. The 2007 world champions have won 50 and lost 17 games. Two games ended in a tie while 2 produced no results. After taking over as the head coach in November 2021, Dravid's Team India contested the finals of the 2021-23 ICC World Test Championship and 2023 World Cup. India sealed a semi-final finish at the T20 World Cup in 2022.
'I wanted to learn from Dravid'
"He's shown a lot of great determination throughout his career and that is something that when he came here as a coach, I wanted to learn from him. It's been very fruitful. Other than the big silver (trophy), we won all the major tournaments and series. I've enjoyed every bit of it, working with him, deciding what direction the team needs to head. And for him to buy into that thought, obviously makes a huge difference. And he was the first one who came and said, 'this is what we need to do as a team'. No matter what happens, but at least we'll give it a good shot at it when he arrived," Rohit concluded.