Rahul Dravid was appointed head coach of India after the T20 World Cup in 2021.© AFP
India captain Rohit Sharma opened up on his bond with head coach Rahul Dravid, under whom he made his international debut against Ireland in June 2007. Dravid was appointed head coach of India after Ravi Shastri’s tenure expired, post the T20 World Cup in 2021, where India bowed out of the group stage. Dravid’s appointment came months before Rohit was named captain of the Indian team across formats. Rohit revealed that Dravid’s first rule as head coach is to ensure that there is no communication gap between the players and the support staff.
“I have a huge respect for him (Rahul Dravid) for what he is as a person firstly and then obviously as a cricketer. It’s because you need to be a good person first and then a cricketer, footballer, doctor, etc,” Rohit told journalist Vimal Kumar on his YouTube channel.
“I made my debut under him, though, I didn’t play long. He doesn’t like any communication gap with any player or support staff. His first rule is to communicate,” Rohit revealed.
On being asked about his desire to play 100 Tests, Rohit, who has played 52 matches in the longest format, said that he likes to stay in the present, rather than focusing on long-term goals.
“I am not a type of person who thinks too far. For me, the Asia Cup and the World Cup is priority. Right now I am focusing on Asia Cup. We’ll see what happens after that. We can’t forget the Australia series. So my motto is to focus on what I am doing now, rather than the future,” the 36-year-old added.
Rohit scored an unbeaten 74 off 59 balls against Nepal in the Asia Cup 2023. India won the game by 10 wickets and qualified for the Super 4 stage.
Rohit and his team will now take on Pakistan in the Super-4 stage at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday, September 10.
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