‘Thank you Rohit for that phone call in November’: Rahul Dravid grateful India captain convinced him to stay as coach

It's fascinating when a reserved, ever-calm personality lets out his raw emotions without inhibition. Rahul Dravid screaming his lungs out after being handed over the T20 World Cup trophy by Virat Kohli was a sight to behold for that very reason. It was not the first instance of Dravid letting loose. He has done that in the past. But never as a world champion. Never with the World Cup in hand. He had three attempts as a player and three as a coach. His sixth attempt, which became successful, would not have materialised if it wasn't for Rohit Sharma. Rahul Dravid was convinced to stay as India's head coach by Rohit Sharma when he wanted to quit in November

Dravid was not ready to extend his contract after India suffered a heartbreaking loss to Australia in the ODI World Cup final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on November 19 last year. His contract was over and Dravid was not keen to continue. But it was captain Rohit Sharma's phone call that changed everything.

Suryakumar Yadav revealed that after winning the T20 World Cup, Dravid thanked Rohit for that phone call in November last year that changed his mind. The former India captain, along with his support staff, agreed to stay on till this year's T20 World Cup to have one final crack at an ICC title and it proved to be a grand success.

“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 said in a video posted by BCCI.

The Rohit-Dravid combination has been instrumental in making India world champions after 13 years. In the last two World Cups, India have won 18 matches out of 20 and lost only once - the ODI final against Australia - while one match in this T20 World Cup was a no result due to a washout. They also reached the WTC finals last year, making India the most consistent team across formats.

After winning the cup, Rohit said Dravid deserved the trophy more than anyone else. "He - more than any one of us, I think he deserved that trophy. What he has done for Indian cricket for the past 20-25 years, I think this was the only thing that was left in his cabinet. I am very happy from all of us on behalf of the entire team that we could actually do this for him. You saw how proud he was and how excited he was. Really grateful to the occasion for this to happen as well," Rohit said.

Rohit and Virat Kohli also lifted Dravid and tossed him up in the air during the victory celebrations at the Kensington Oval in Barbados following India's nerve-wracking victory against South Africa in the final on June 29.

Dravid's replacement to be named soon

Dravid's journey as the head coach has come to an end. BCCI secretary Jay Shah said the new head coach will be announced soon.

Former opener Gautam Gambhir is expected to succeed Dravid as the India head coach. The Cricket Advisory Committee has also conducted the interviews for the high-profile job and short-listed Gambhir and former India women's coach W V Raman.

The appointment of a selector will also be made soon, said Shah, who is in the Caribbean with the India squad that won the T20 World Cup title on Saturday, beating South Africa by seven runs in the final.

"Both coach and selector appointments will be made shortly. CAC has interviewed and shortlisted two names and after reaching Mumbai whatever they have decided we will go by that. VVS Laxman is going to Zimbabwe but new coach will join from Sri Lanka series," Shah said.

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