Indian head coach Rahul Dravid will start his first assignment with Rohit Sharma as the skipper of the Indian T20I side. India plays the first of three T20Is against New Zealand later tonight in Jaipur. All eyes will be on how the team bounces back after their early exit from the ICC T20 World Cup 2021.
Rahul Dravid, in the pre-match press conference, remembered Rohit Sharma’s international debut under his captaincy back in 2007 in Ireland. Under Dravid, India were facing South Africa in three ODIs in Ireland when a young and promising 20-year-old Rohit made his debut for India.
🎥 Head Coach Rahul Dravid rekindles his first meeting with a young @ImRo45 & lauds the #TeamIndia T20I captain for his contribution towards the Indian cricket. 👏 ☺️#INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/croLaIElLu
— BCCI (@BCCI) November 16, 2021
“We were talking about it yesterday on the bus. I guess time flies, doesn’t it? I actually remember Rohit even before the Ireland series when we were playing a challenger in Madras. We all knew that Rohit was going to be special. We could just see that he was a very very special talent that I wouldn’t, so many years later, be working with him that I never thought about or envisaged” said Dravid.
What Rohit Sharma Has Achieved For Indian Cricket Is Phenomenal: Rahul Dravid
“… but honestly, the way he has grown as a leader and as a person over these last 14 years now. What he’s achieved both as an Indian player and as a leader for the Mumbai Indians has been phenomenal” he further added.
Rohit Sharma also spoke about playing under Dravid’s captaincy on his international debut. 14 years down the line now the Rohit-Rahul combo is given the responsibility of helping India achieve new heights in world cricket.
“It was way back in 2007 when I was selected, but the first time I had the opportunity to interact with him was in Bangalore at a camp. It was a very brief chat and I was actually kind of very nervous and I never used to talk so much even with my age group people so leave alone these guys at that point,” Rohit said.
“So, I was just quietly doing my things and getting a move on with my game. But yeah, in Ireland the first time when he came and told me that you will be playing this game. I was over the moon that, obviously felt like a dream to be part of the dressing room. It’s been a long way since then. I have cherished all the moments that I’ve spent playing for India and also for my franchise, Mumbai Indians. And we look forward to many more” he further added.
After the first T20I in Jaipur later tonight, the next two will be played Ranchi (November 19) and Kolkata (November 21), followed by Tests in Kanpur (November 25-29) and Mumbai (December 3-7).
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