Rahul Dravid reflects on bond with Rohit Sharma: 'He was always clear about his vision'

NEW DELHI: The legendary Indian cricketer and former head coach Rahul Dravid reflected on his partnership with Rohit Sharma during their time together at the helm of Indian cricket. Dravid recalled that from the very beginning, Rohit displayed a strong sense of responsibility, genuine concern for the team, and absolute clarity in how he wanted to lead.

Their association helped India finally end their long wait for an ICC trophy with victory at the T20 World Cup last year. Fittingly, that triumph also marked Dravid's farewell as head coach and Rohit's final match in the shortest format of the match.

"I think it was really good. Firstly, he deeply cared about the team. Know, right from the first day, I think he was very clear about how he wanted to run the team and what was important to him. And that's really important in any relationship with a captain and a coach, and especially the way I coach," Dravid said while speaking to former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Kutti Stories.

Dravid believed the captain should be the one driving the team's direction. The coach's job is more about mentoring - helping the captain refine his plans, offering perspective, and ensuring that the leadership is cohesive and effective.

"I always like to believe that it should be the captain's team. I've been a player and I've been a captain as well. But a captain has to lead it in terms of the direction he wants to go in, and you have to support him and help him in that. Of course, you need to sometimes help a captain in terms of getting that clarity and understanding what is required," Dravid said.

"But with Rohit, I thought he was very clear about what he wanted from the team, how he wanted the environment to be, how he wanted the atmosphere to be, how he wanted things to run. I think he has had so much experience over the years, it really helped. He was very clear on those things," he added.

Dravid admitted that a dropped catch at the MCG was the moment he first realised it might be time to call it quits.

“Yes, when I dropped the catch off your bowling of Michael Hussey at the MCG. It was one of the easiest catches I have ever dropped in my life,” he said to Ashwin.