India’s talismanic batter and former captain Rahul Dravid’s tenure as the head coach of the national team ended on a high with the team being crowned T20 World champions after Rohit Sharma & Co handed South Africa a narrow seven-run defeat in the pulsating title clash at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on Saturday.

Dravid, who took over as head coach in November 2021, hailed the resilience shown by the Indian team in the nail-biting final, during which the momentum kept swinging and the Proteas almost sealed it with 30 runs required off the final five before Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and Arshdeep Singh brilliantly pulled things back to end India’s 11-year title drought.

Dravid, who during his illustrious playing career, could never lay his hands on a global title, said these are the moments that players will remember throughout their life, while thanking the team for making him a part of “an incredible memory.”

The title marked Dravid’s most significant title as India’s head coach over a nearly three-year tenure where the team had finished runners-up in the 2023 World Test Championship final and the 2023 ODI World Cup at home.

“I am really short of words but all I want to say is thank you to everyone for making me a part of what is an incredible memory,” Dravid said in the India dressing-room shortly after the final.

“I think all of you will remember these moments. It’s not about the runs, the wickets, you will not remember your career. But you will remember moments like these. I cannot be more proud of you guys. To come back the way you did, the way you fought. The way we worked as a team. The resilience.

“There have been a few disappointments over the years where we have come close but we have not been able to cross the line. But what this bunch of boys has done, everyone in the support staff has done. The whole country is proud of each and every one of you for what you have achieved. There are so many sacrifices each of you have made. To see your families here today and so many of your families back home, think of all the sacrifices every one of them have made since the time you were kids. For you to be here in the dressing-room today, your parents, wives, children, brothers, your coaches. So many people have made so many sacrifices for you to enjoy this memory, this moment,” Dravid added.

‘Thank you Ro for making the call’

It took a call from Rohit Sharma to convince Dravid to extend his tenure as coach after his original stint was over with India’s ODI World Cup final defeat to Australia in Ahmedabad last November.

“Thank you very much, Ro (Rohit), for making that call in November and asking me to continue. It’s been such a privilege and a pleasure to work with each and every one of you, but also with Ro. Thank you for your time. I know as captain and coach, there are a lot of times we have to chat. We have to agree; we have to disagree. It’s been brilliant to know each and every one of you,” Dravid remarked.

In his moment of glory as coach, Dravid said he didn’t believe in “redemption stories”. That was in response to a question on whether it was particularly satisfying to lift the World Cup on the same shores where India were dumped out of the ODI World Cup in the first round in 2007 with Dravid the team’s captain.

Dravid was hoisted by the entire team on the field during the victory celebrations, with Virat Kohli and Rohit leading the way. Dravid and the selectors were responsible for bringing back the two senior players to the T20I side earlier this year despite them having not featured in the format for a long time.

As they celebrated together, Dravid had a small message for Kohli: “All three whites ticked off. One red to go. Tick it.” The reference being to India’s wins in the ODI World Cup in 2011, the Champions Trophy in 2013 and now the T20 World Cup, all of which Kohli was a part of, and the Test championship, which India haven’t won yet despite reaching the final on both occasions so far.

Along with Dravid, the curtains also fell on the T20I careers of three modern-day greats — Rohit, Virat and Ravindra Jadeja as the trio announced their retirement from the shortest format.

Dravid’s successor is expected to be named soon. VVS Laxman has accompanied the second-string side that will play a series of five T20Is in Zimbabwe starting July 6, and Jay Shah, the BCCI secretary, has said that the next coach will be named ahead of the white-ball tour of Sri Lanka in late July. Gautam Gambhir is the front-runner to be named head coach.

On Monday, Shah had revealed that Dravid did not intend to seek another term as head coach due to family commitments. “He told me that due to family commitments he wants to quit and we respect his decision. I didn’t force him to extend,” Shah said.

“Rahul bhai has served Indian cricket for the past five and half years. He was director of the National Cricket Academy for three years and then for the past two and half years, he served as head coach of Team India. Rahul Dravid’s role is as important as Rohit Sharma in this T20 World Cup title triumph. He is a man who took the team to the 2023 ODI World Cup final and didn’t want to leave because he wanted to finish the job,” Shah added.