New Delhi, Jun 28 (IANS): After sailing to the T20 World Cup final following a 68-run win against England, India head coach Rahul Dravid heaped high praise on captain Rohit Sharma's tactical brilliance and said he spends a lot of time off the field on strategy and planning.
Rohit's leadership skills in the tournament kept India unbeaten in the campaign despite threats from Australia and defending champions England. India avenged their 2022 edition's 10-wicket drubbing against England in Guyana to head into the final of the tournament for the first time since 2014.
Talking about Rohit's captaincy of the team, Dravid said, "About Rohit, whatever I say will fall short. The way he has worked with the team, his strategy, his maturity, the team's response to him, and the time he spends in strategy, planning, and discussion with all of us. I cannot speak more highly about him as a cricketer and also as a person."
Dravid also backed Virat Kohli despite his dipping form in the tournament and said he would come all guns blazing in the title clash.
"You know with Virat, the thing is, when you play a slightly high-risk brand of cricket there can be times when it doesn't come off. Even today, I thought he hit a really good six to set the tempo but he was just unlucky that the ball seamed a little bit more. But I love the intent, I love the way he went about doing it. It sets a good example for the group as well if he's willing to do it.
"And you know, for some reason, I don't want to jinx it but I think there's a big one coming up. I'm just loving his attitude and that he's committing himself on the field - I think he deserves it," the head coach said.
It is also Dravid's last assignment with the Indian team as the new coach will join the team following the conclusion of the T20 World Cup. The 51-year-old expressed his desire to finish his tenure with a silverware that eluded him in the ODI World Cup and World Test Championship finals last year.
Speaking about the #DoItForDravid campaign that is doing the rounds in India, he said, "You know, I don't really believe in this 'Do it for somebody'. I love that quote about somebody asking somebody else, 'Why do you want to climb Mount Everest?' and he says 'I want to climb Mount Everest because it's there'.
"I want to win this World Cup because it's there. It's not for anyone, it's not for anybody, it's just there to win. I just want to play good cricket and yeah, doing it for someone is totally against who I am as a person and what I believe in so I don't want to talk about it and discuss it. "
India will take on South Africa in the final in Barbados on Saturday, June 29. The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 is streaming live and free on mobile on Disney+ Hotstar.